


The Miraculous Cuban Chameleon

by saintrae



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, Bad Puns, Cute, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Families of Choice, Fluff and Angst, Growing Up, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Neglect, Polyamory, Threesome - F/F/M, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 15:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6014647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintrae/pseuds/saintrae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Élodie Beaumont has just changed her name and moved to Paris, France in search of Ladybug and Chat Noir. With a ratty knapsack, her Kwami Arra, and a few hundred dollars to her name she sets out in search for a place to belong. When Élodie complains to Chat Noir about having no place to live, he tells her he knows a guy and sends her to live with Adrien Agreste. Élodie makes a promise to her Kwami that she'll try to make friends so she makes it her mission in life to make Adrien happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [all the miraculous ladybug fans](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=all+the+miraculous+ladybug+fans).



> I wrote this as a result of thinking: what would happen to Adrien Agreste if he met and lived with someone as alone as he was. Hispanic culture is a very touchy-feely culture so physical displays of affection is very common even with people just met. I thought it would be interesting to put an orphan Cuban girl with a neglected French boy and see how they would fit and how they would change each other. There are time jumps in this simply because I'm lazy as hell and I don't like rambling on or writing scenes that aren't important to the story. I will update every week.

   The sky was dark, as if the sun had been blocked out by smoke. It was a good day for things to go bad. But, as I hear, things often go bad in Paris. I wouldn't know, I had just gotten off the train an hour ago. No one would miss me. I didn't matter. I would be starting school tomorrow but I knew I had to find a place to stay. I had some money saved from my bigger jobs but I would need a job in order to live here. On the way to Paris from Cuba, I contemplated my decision at least twice. But each time, I convinced myself to keep going. I needed to be sure that I wasn't alone. That Ladybug and Chat Noir were real.  
   “I'm… I'm kind of scared, Arra. What if… what if they're just weirdos in homemade costumes? What if… we really are… alone,” I said softly to my coat pocket. My Kwami, small and yellow-green with a chameleon tail, peeked out of my pocket and smiled at me.  
   “Don't worry. I know Plagg and Tikki; we were friends decades ago until one of my holders moved. If they're real, I would be able to tell. And if they're not, we always have each other! Just like always,” she smiled and went back into hiding. I dropped a raspberry in my pocket for her and walked down the street. I really didn't know where I was but maybe if I kept wandering around I would find a place to rest.  
   “How much money do we have?” I asked her when I saw a bakery. I was having a bit of trouble reading the letters on the window but I saw a tall, hefty man putting out fresh bread and a smaller woman (probably Asian) taking the empty plates out back.  
   “Enough for a few weeks. You should eat. You can't survive on berries alone,” Arra said just loud enough for me to hear. I nodded and slowly walked into the shop. I took in the smell of the breads and sweets and the kind expression on the baker’s face.  
   “Good afternoon! Is there anything you have your eye on?” the man asked. I noticed flour caked under his nails and on his blue shirt. You could tell nothing about my day from my appearance, except that I was carrying a lumpy knapsack on my shoulder and I looked like I hadn't had any sleep in the last twenty-four hours. But I knew my expression was cold, hollow. Empty and hostile. It was my default expression when I didn't know someone and I had nothing to get out of them. But he didn't seem phased by my unfriendliness.  
   “I… I just got here. An hour ago. I'm from out of the country. My French is bad. Sorry. I would like the… um…” I said, stumbling over my words. I was more practiced in my English but even then, it wasn't very good. I had stolen year one and two French and English books a few years ago so I had never progressed. I understood better than I spoke. But I spoke pretty mediocrely.  
   “You look about my daughter's age! She's in her last year of school. Perhaps she could show you around,” he said to me slowly, so I was sure to understand. I thought about it and I had read on the train that Ladybug probably went to the school around here. Maybe I could use their daughter to help find her. I nodded slowly and stuck my hand in my pocket to touch Arra’s scaly little head. She wrapped her nubby arms around my finger to comfort me.  
   “Yes. Thank you. My name is… is… Élodie. Élodie Beaumont,” I lied. Okay, it technically wasn't a lie. I had legally changed my name last year so I would fit in better here and so I would have no more connection to the mother who gave me up. But it wasn't the name I was born with. The small Chinese woman with short black hair came back in and smiled at me. Their friendliness made my skin crawl. It was completely foreign to me.  
   “While you're here, would you like something to eat? Do you have a place to stay? Are your parents with you? My name is Tom Dupain, this is my wife Sabine Dupain-Cheng,” the baker told me, still speaking somewhat slowly. I nodded again.  
   “Marinette said the movie was almost over and would be coming back soon. I overheard you so I told her to expect someone about her age here waiting,” Sabine smiled and I nearly squeezed Arra in my hand.  
   “I would… I would like to buy that… um… cookie,” I said, trying to remember the word. It was a lot harder to be quick-witted and sassy in a language you weren't well-rehearsed in. I sounded like I had some sort of speech impediment.  
   Sabine just took my hand and led me upstairs. I nearly cringed away at the touch but I knew I shouldn't. I had to pretend I wasn't broken.  
   She allowed me to sit on the couch and put a plate of croissants on the table, giving me the indication to eat. I looked out the window and saw it was getting darker. It would be six o’clock soon. Sabine informed me that she needed to help close up shop with Tom so I nodded and she left. Arra came out of my pocket and floated in front of my face, my cheeks stuffed with bread.  
   “They're very kind, Élodie. Perhaps you could be nicer?” she teased me. I swallowed the mouthful of buttery bread to speak.  
   “I don't trust them, Arra. I start school tomorrow and you know I don't have time for this. I need to find Ladybug and Chat Noir,” I sighed. Speaking Spanish with Arra felt a lot more comfortable.  
   “You need to live your life too. I know you did when you were young, but since you stumbled upon that Ladyblog, it's like you're obsessed,” she sighed and sat on the table next to the plate. I looked down, knowing I sounded crazy.  
   “I just… I don't want to feel alone anymore. I want them to like me. I… you know I can't go back to Havana. And I'm in Paris. I… feel… empty, Arra. I want a family. Maybe… maybe fighting with them will fill that hole,” I looked at my hands. They were not very tan and really anyone who looked at me wouldn't be able to tell I was Latina. My eyes were green, my hair was dark and curly, and my skin was on the lighter side of tan. I didn't look like much anything at all.  
   “If you want to fill the hole, you need to let people in. Stop being so standoffish with people. Let people know the real you.”  
   “Who is that? The orphan girl who was turned into a model just because they wanted a cheap child? Or the DJ who stayed up late to earn money? Or the painter with no money for her medium? I am a jack-of-all-trades but master of none with no parents to speak of and only a few hundred dollars to my name. That's not a way to win friends,” I finally looked at her and she buried her face in my chest and I hugged her as best as I could.  
   “Be all of them. They're all you,” she said softly and bolted back into my pocket when we heard footsteps. I stood up, ready to jump out the window if I needed to. But the only ones who walked through the door were Sabine and a girl taller than her with her black hair in pigtails and piercing blue eyes. She was so beautiful I nearly dropped. She had the same friendly eyes as her parents and they weren't as closed as her mother’s. I noticed her pink jeans looked pretty new, which only meant they didn't have holes. Unlike my pants. I didn't know what to say and I already had trouble articulating myself in French.  
   “Hi! I'm Marinette! My papa said you're new to the country? Where are you from?” she asked but I didn't know what to say. I just stared at her. Her mother said we could go into Marinette’s room if it would make me more comfortable. The only thing that would make me comfortable would be jumping out of the window but I didn't say that.  
   I was led up another flight of stairs to what I assume was Marinette's room. It was very… pink. With pictures of this one specific model covering her walls. Her face turned red when she noticed me looking at them and started to take them down quickly.  
   “It's fine. I don't mind. They're beautiful,” I said but from her reaction, I probably said something different. I went back over what I said and realised that instead of saying “they're beautiful” I had said “you're beautiful”. I started to go into apologies but she just laughed and brushed it off.  
   “Your French isn't great, I can see. But that's okay. You can take as much time as you need to respond. Élodie, right? That's a pretty name. Where are you planning on going to school? If you actually are around my age, that is,” she smiled, slowly starting to put the pictures of the blond boy back on her walls.  
   “May I use your phone?” I asked and she handed it over. I found a translation app and used it to respond.  
   “Yes. Élodie. My French is bad. I am from Cuba. I only know two years of French but I understand more than I speak. I can understand pretty well. I tried to learn more on the plane ride and on the train. It's still not good. I am seventeen, eighteen in two months. There is a school a few blocks away that I have registered for. I will be starting tomorrow,” the mechanical voice sounded terrible and flat, I wondered how she could understand it.  
   “I go there too! I could introduce you to my class. But it's kind of late. I need to work on my Literature paper and my designs for this fashion contest I'm in. You can sleep on my couch if you want. The bathroom is just downstairs. Are those your clothes?” she peeked around me at my knapsack that was at my lower back. I nodded.  
   “Did you move with your parents? Are they here?” she asked, remembering to speak a bit slower. I shook my head. I remembered I had failed to answer that question when her parents asked. Because Arra told me to make friends, I decided to tell her the truth. I learned the hard way that I should probably listen to her as often as I could.  
   “Gone. Don't know them. I'm alone.”  
   Marinette's pretty face fell a bit but tried not to show it much in case her pity might upset me. I recognised the expression. Many people I opened up to about it had the same expression.  
   “I could help. With the contest. I modelled as a child. I don't mind,” I said but looked at the door on the floor. “Bathroom first?”  
   “That would actually be helpful! Thank you. Yes, of course,” she smiled again and I went to the bathroom. I washed my face and ran my fingers through my short curly hair. I had it a little past my chin so I could tie it back if I wanted. I wasn't exactly pretty but I was sure I could serve her purposes. My jaw was too square to be feminine and my nose was long. I looked more androgynous than anything. I finished up and Arra looked at me but didn't say anything for a bit.  
   “It's just for tonight. As a way of saying thank you. Then we're not sleeping here tomorrow. It's too risky,” I said but she gave me a wordless annoyed look.  
   I made my way back upstairs and Marinette turned to me as if she were startled.  
   “I'm sorry?” I muttered and she shook her head and smiled again. I didn't know what was up but I wasn't coming back tomorrow so it wasn't my business.  
   She set me up in a pose and handed me the raw material she was using that had a few pins in it but nothing more. I made sure not to move much so I wouldn't get pinned but once it was well past eleven at night and I hadn't slept in two days so I could reset my sleep schedule, I told her I needed to sleep if I was to be meeting anyone tomorrow.  
   We got ready for bed and I curled up under the blanket she gave me.  
   “So… does the blond boy go to your school?” I asked, thinking of the words beforehand. “The one on your walls?”  
   “Yeah. His name is Adrien Agreste. He's… amazing,” she said, her voice taking on a daydream like sound.  
   “He looks a bit like… that hero, Chat Noir. But I really haven't… seen much… of either of them. Just on the Internet and on your walls,” I said thoughtfully. The jawline was the same but the Ladyblog didn't have good footage of the duo’s male half. But to me, anyone could be Chat. Everyone was a possibility.  
   “Oh no! They're totally different! Chat is flirty and wild and he thinks he's funny with his cat puns but he's also pretty caring and selfless. Adrien is smart and a gentleman and sweet to everyone and a genuinely reserved, good-natured guy. There's no way he could be Chat. Why do you ask?” Marinette's voice seemed curious but not suspicious. I could work with that.  
   “Oh there's… just this blog following Ladybug… and her partner Chat Noir. I was just curious, is all. It comes up when you search for Paris. Did you know there's a similar person in Cuba? They don't know the gender because they're not seen very often, but the people call them… Chameleon,” I said and Arra nibbled my finger as a sort of warning. Marinette didn't respond but I heard her shift in bed.  
   “I just think it's cool. That people in different countries can be so similar,” I said as best as I could.  
   “Yeah that does sound cool. But we need to be up early tomorrow for school. Good night, Élodie,” she said a little too quickly and I could hear her roll over so I knew the conversation was over. I guess gloomy days brought good luck here. I pulled the blanket up to my chin so Arra could sleep undetected on my stomach and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Arra, scales on!” I said and she flew into my necklace. The form-fitting green scaled suit appeared on my body and I felt my mask cover my eyes. The mask changed my eye colour depending on my mood and right now, I felt something I never had before: happiness and belonging. My eyes looked pink in my reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished the chapter and (sloppy) editing early so I just decided to post it. sorry if it sucks I was running on 3 hours of sleep.

   “I would like to introduce you to our new student, all the way from Havana, Cuba! Élodie Beaumont,” the teacher said, her hands on my shoulders. Internally, I was screaming. On the outside, I was calm and confident. I was everything they wanted me to be and more. I was interesting, I was charming and intelligent and aloof. In reality, I was uncomfortable and kind of scared.  
   I sat in my seat behind Marinette but I could still see the blond boy’s head. The one who was all over Marinette’s walls. I caught a glimpse of his face while standing in front of the class. He was cute, with nice green eyes. He seemed well-groomed and actually kind of reserved. But he and the boy next to him with the brown skin smiled at me encouragingly. For some reason, being that it came from someone who looked kind of sad, it did make me feel better.  
   I did my best to do my work but I found myself periodically asking Marinette and her friend Alya for help. The blond boy turned around and smiled at us. Marinette seemed to turn to mush but I really didn't see the appeal.  
   “Hey, I could help. I already have my work done. My name is Adrien. I can understand how it could be difficult to do in a language you don't excel at. I'm learning Chinese. If you want, you can sit with Nino and I. There's surely enough room for all three of us,” the blond boy said and I could see Marinette go a bit… tense. As if she were jealous. But I nodded and moved my chair next to his after the teacher allowed it. Adrien made sure to use a simpler French so I could understand easier while he taught me new words and conjunctions so I could read the text with more ease. I was grateful for it. Out of nowhere, he made this dumb pun that I understood and for the first time in a while, I started laughing. His eyes lit up at the validation my laughter gave him and I realised I enjoyed his company. He was more low-key in his kindness than Marinette. Her liveliness and energy was just a bit too much for me to handle at the moment. Nino would joke around too and he said he was a DJ at a club. I told him I was a DJ in Cuba in a club for a while and how I was a model when I was a child and how I liked painting but I had no money for it. Nino said he could talk to his manager to see if I could be a guest DJ so he could “see what I could do” with a wink. Adrien tried talking about modelling but I could see that he wasn't interested in it. So I directed the conversation smoothly to something he seemed to enjoy more.  
   Class ended and Adrien started picking up his stuff so I did the same. I smiled pleasantly at him and Nino, a silent thank you for their kindness and their jokes. I don't think I smiled so much in my life. I couldn't really remember a time when I had felt genuinely happy.  
   Then it ended. I heard loud crashing outside and people screaming. I stood up quickly, slung my bag on my shoulder and said a rushed goodbye to Adrien, Nino, Alya, and Marinette. Adrien said he had to get to fencing and Marinette said she had to work on her designs. All three of us were the first ones out the door. From how busy Adrien seemed, it didn't surprise me that he had to run everywhere. I didn't think much of it as I ran into the empty teacher’s lounge and Arra flew out of my pocket.  
   “Arra, scales on!” I said and she flew into my necklace. The form-fitting green scaled suit appeared on my body and I felt my mask cover my eyes. The mask changed my eye colour depending on my mood and right now, I felt something I never had before: happiness and belonging. My eyes looked pink in my reflection.  
   I bolted out of the room and jumped over the railing, landing on my feet. I ran out of the school and in the direction of the loudest noise. I climbed the wall of a building and ran along the roofs. I saw a woman with a red and black suit, but it wasn't like Ladybug’s. The design wasn't the same and she had a more sinister feeling to her. She said she was Black Widow, ready to punish any man she pleased. Well, I was in the clear then. I looked around just in time to see Ladybug jump from a building and use her yoyo to swing around. I ran as quickly as I could to get there and grabbed Chat Noir’s tail before he jumped. I had a good hold on the building so we didn't fall. He looked very confused while staring at me, his wild hair occasionally blowing in his almost-glowing green eyes.  
   “Another Akuma?” He asked, more to himself than to me. Before he could fight me, I let go. He balanced himself on the roof, still staring at me curiously.  
   “No. I'm Chameleon. I'm another miraculous holder. Just got to the party late. Black Widow possesses men. Be careful,” I warned him and he still looked a bit confused but I jumped off the building, using my hand to scrape against the building so I landed safely. Ladybug looked over at me, just as confused as Chat had been.  
   “Chameleon…? What -” Ladybug looked at me and I jerked her out of the way before Black Widow grabbed her.  
   “Heard about me? Not the time! Kind of busy!” I said and kicked Black Widow away. Wow, my French was bad under pressure.    “Find the Akuma!”  
   Ladybug, still kind of stunned, nodded at me and looked around for Chat.  
   “Chat is on the roof. It's not safe for him. She punishes men,” I warned her and I looked up at the roofs where Chat was watching. I knew he was trying to find a way to fight. But I was picked up by my tail and arm because I was distracted and thrown into a building. I nearly gagged at the impact and landed on my stomach. Lifting my head, I saw Chat jump from the building and use his cataclysm so Black Widow fell through the ground up to her waist.

   I wanted to ask him why not up to her shoulders because it was her hands that were the problem. Instead, I scrambled to my feet and ran over to them. Chat had turned around to probably make a joke to Ladybug so he didn't see when Black Widow lifted her hand and sent a black stream of goo at him. I cursed silently and pulled him out of the way, using my body as a shield. It stung, but because I wasn't a guy, it didn't do anything to me. Not sure what it was supposed to do anyway, but I didn't want to find out. I heard Ladybug call for her lucky charm but I was too dizzy from the impact of the poison to see what it was. It was a huge black splatter of goo on my back that I could feel seep through my suit that stuck to me like tar. Chat slung my arm over his shoulders and I could feel how bony they were, as if he didn't eat enough. I gave him a look of thanks and he nodded.  
   “Looks like you ran into a sticky situation,” he grinned. He was so proud of himself and the pun was so bad, I had no other option but to laugh.  
   “I should be thanking you,” he smiled, still looking smug. I looked up and I pushed him away from me so we wouldn't get hit again by the poison.  
   “Could you get the Akuma faster?” I asked her, rolling away from the damage. I got back on my feet before Chat did and told him to get behind her so she couldn't reach him.  
   “Ladybug, you have a plan?” I asked her, hoping she did.  
   “What can you do?”  
   “Invisibility. I can go invisible.”  
   “Well, it's as good as we've got!”  
   “Guys, I'm running out of time!” Chat called to us. I nodded and looked at Ladybug.  
   I called for my invisibility and Black Widow looked taken aback.  
   “Where's that disgusting reptile?” she snarled.  
   “Right here, buggy! Can't see me? What a shame. I look good today,” I laughed and she tried to hit me again but I just dodged it. Ladybug pulled a red and black-dotted magnet out.  
   “Her ring! The Akuma is in her ring,” Ladybug called out to us and Chat Noir dove for one of her hands and I dove for the other. We pinned her hands to the ground and I called my invisibility off. Ladybug used the magnet to pull the ring off and she crushed it under her shoe. Something I've only seen in those short footages, she tossed her Lucky Charm into the air and yelled “Miraculous Ladybug!”

   “Who are you?” Chat asked me, looking over at me after the fight. I shrugged.  
   “Chameleon. I'm not from around here. Came to help. That's all you need to know. You can ask your Kwamis if I'm the real deal. I need to go,” I said and ran off. I hid in an alley and I caught Arra when she flew out of my necklace. She looked so tired so I put her in my coat pocket and stepped out. I hoped I could find some berries to feed her. I walked down the sidewalk but because I wasn't really paying attention, I bumped into Chat Noir and I fell. He caught my wrists and pulled me up.  
   “Falling for me?”  
   “Hey! Watch where you're going!” I snapped and he looked at me, startled.  
   “Oh sorry, beautiful. Didn't see you. I need to head off!” he smiled at me.  
   “At least you have somewhere to go,” I muttered bitterly, raising my eyes to his face. His playful eyes clouded with concern.  
   “What do you mean?” he asked, looking a bit calmer even though he only had three paw prints left on his ring.  
   “I have no place to go. No place to live. I… I'm staying with this one girl in my class but… I can't overstay my welcome. After that… I'm homeless.” I shrugged. He set his jaw and glanced at his ring.  
   “I… I know a guy. His name is Adrien. Rich kid, big house with no one to fill it. I'm sure he'd love to house you,” he said and put his hands on my shoulders.  
   “I don't know him very well. I'm not sure. But I guess if you could talk to him…” I shrugged and he let go.  
   “Great! Ask someone to take you to the Agreste Mansion. I'll tell him you're coming,” Chat nodded and ran off. That was probably the weirdest conversation I've had. But I figured because he was telling the truth. I walked into a market and bought a box of raspberries and dropped a few into my pocket. I looked around, kind of tired from the fight I was just in. I didn't want to walk to God-knows-where just this moment.  
   Hailing a taxi, I gave the driver the vague description Chat Noir told me so he made a U-turn and started driving in that direction. I looked out the window as I touched Arra’s little scaly head.  
   “Wait, wait. Can you stop here a moment? I need to get something. I'll be right out,” I informed the driver when I saw Marinette's bakery. When he stopped outside the bakery, I walked inside and told Sabine that I found another place to live and I was just going to get my bag. Tom smiled at me and told me I was welcome to come back any time. I nodded stiffly and ran upstairs only to see Marinette. I didn't know how she had gotten here before I did. She was drawing in the same book I saw her drawing in last night. It took her a few moments to notice me then her head lifted and she put her notebook down.  
   “Oh hi! I was just finishing up that one design. What is it?” she smiled. I slowly started putting my clothes into my bag, not even looking in her direction.  
   “Um… I'm going to live with Adrien. That guy you like. He's waiting for me. He, um, he has more room for me and it wouldn't be much of a hassle on him to house me…” I said, starting to sound rushed. I wasn't even sure if I was pronouncing the words right. Marinette went white and started stuttering. I couldn't tell what she was feeling or saying but slowly the look in her eyes turned to anger and her white face got red. Oh no.  
   “So do you like him?” she asked me. That was the most ridiculous question I had ever been asked and I really had no idea how to respond.  
   “Excuse me? Like him? I just met him today. I really don't have time for this, Marinette. It's ridiculous. I have to go,” I said and left before I could hear what she had to say. I ran down into the bakery and got into the cab without saying goodbye. I didn't know what I had done to upset her. I didn't understand. I wasn't looking for a boyfriend and even if I was, it would not be Adrien. That sweet-faced blond model was not the type of person I'd ever date. That redheaded boy though… that was another beast entirely.  
   I felt Arra hug my finger and felt a bit more comforted. It took thirty minutes to get to his house because of the traffic but I finally got there. I looked at the huge fortress and wondered if I came to the wrong place. I hesitantly rang the doorbell and a camera focused on me.  
   “Name?”  
   “Élodie. Élodie Beaumont. I'm here to see Adrien…” I said slowly, looking down at my shoes. The gate opened and I ran through, a bit intimidated by it. Adrien came through the doors and smiled at me. I didn't smile back. I might have felt comfortable around him before but I was tense at the thought of living with someone I didn't know, even though I had no other options.  
   “You came! Chat Noir told me you'd be coming to live with me. He's a cool guy, right?” he smiled and reached to take my bag but I didn't let him. He closed the door behind me, accepting that I wasn't accepting his help. I took in the huge foyer and I really couldn't help but feel very small.  
   “There's only one catch: my dad can't know you live here. Ever. It's not hard, I never see him. But it's best to hide in your room if he's around,” Adrien told me as we went up the stairs.  
   “Why? What's wrong with your dad?” I asked him, biting my lip. Adrien hesitated on the next step before continuing. I nearly bumped into him, not expecting him to stop. I guess his father was a touchy subject.  
   “He… he's never around. But he… he controls everything in my life. It's like he's god. But he's very strict. So if he found you, he'd probably kick you out. So let's just keep this between us,” he looked back and smiled at me. I nodded a bit, looking around.  
   “It… it must be lonely here. By yourself. I know how that feels. Kind of. I mean, I lived with a bunch of others but… I always stood out. I was always… alone,” I said softly as we walked down the hall. He stopped in front of a door and I nearly bumped into him again. He didn't seem to mind, though.  
   “Yeah. I guess living here… is kind of like living in an orphanage. But not anymore. You're here. Now I'm not alone… if you don't mind me saying that,” he said and opened the door. The room was grey and empty of any personal effects but expertly decorated. I smiled politely at him, still a bit uncomfortable. I fidgeted with my necklace, tilting my head up to look at him.  
   “I guess now we're both not alone. Um… can I ask you something? Is there something going on between you and Marinette,” I bit my lip and set my bag down next to the bed. He sat on the bed and motioned for me to sit too. I sat on the chair so I wasn't that close to him.  
   “She's a friend of mine. Very sweet and dorky. Talented. But I don't feel anything romantic for her. Why do you ask?”  
   “I don't know. I don't really know anyone very well… but Marinette. I don't know. Maybe you should… give her a chance? She seems like a good person.” Despite the fact that she looked really upset when I told her I was going to live with Adrien and accused me of liking someone I didn't even know. Maybe if I tried getting them together, she would see that I wasn't a threat to her crush.  
Adrien shrugged and smiled, “I have my eye on someone else, unfortunately. Although any guy would be lucky to date her.”  
   “How do you know Chat Noir?” He looked up at me quickly, his eyes wide.  
   “He, uh, he saved me a few times. He's pretty cool. He said he saw you around today?”  
   “Yeah, he did. I bumped into him. He just seemed really skinny. I don't know if it's my Latina side coming out, but it felt like crashing into bones. I mean he's sturdy and he seems like a cool guy. But it's like he's a stray cat no one feeds enough. I wonder about his home life. But I guess that's an odd thing to think of someone you met for a few minutes,” I laughed a bit, trying to make it seem like I wasn't serious. But I was. Adrien's face softened a bit and looked at me.  
   “No. It's not. It's a sign that you care about people. Do you want to go to my room? We can play video games,” he smiled and I was glad for a change in subject.  
   “Yeah, yeah. That sounds fun. You're going to have to teach me, though.” He stood up and walked with me to the room right next door and closed the door behind us. The screensaver on his computers were all of… Ladybug? He even had a framed picture of her. And right next to that picture was a note in the shape of a heart taped to his wall. I read the first line and guessed it was a love poem then turned back to his red face.  
   “So… I guess you like Ladybug?” I asked and he quickly went to get his computer out of sleep mode but the display was still of Ladybug, just different pictures.  
   “I - I don't know who - I just - this isn't -” he stuttered, looking just about ready to die from embarrassment. I was about ready to die from his embarrassment too.  
   “It's fine. Relax. Let's just play, okay? I won't tell anyone,” I smiled and he let out a relieved breath then smiled at me again. But I noticed it was rehearsed. His model smile. It was the same one I often did when I was uncomfortable. If I was going to live with him, he needed to know I could be trusted.  
   “You don't need to do that. You can just be yourself. It's okay. I'm not here to judge you. I have no family. I'm… I'm trying to make friends. I want you to know you don't have to hide who you really are with me. We're going to be living together so… maybe we should try to get to know each other,” I smiled and the tension left the room. The person he was in class came back, funny and kind and real. I was glad for it. Because I understood why he put on the act, but I also knew that sometimes you needed someone you didn't need to put on the act for. Arra was that for me. I wanted to be that for him.

   The more we talked and played video games the more my French sounded natural and the more open he got about himself. I tried not to sound too depressing but my mask fell off too as the room got darker, turning into night. I don't remember the rest of that night, but for the second time that day - and in my whole life - I felt like I belonged. I didn't feel so alone. And from the look in his eyes, he didn't feel so alone either.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Prepare for trouble!” I laughed, getting her attention.   
>  “And make it double!” Chat backflipped out of her range and I rolled away.

   I had been living with Adrien for two months. The first three days I slept on his floor because I wasn't used to sleeping alone. He said he didn't mind and he treated it like a sleepover. I was glad he normalised it for me. I felt like a toddler, not able to sleep on my own. But he made it fun when I would sleep in his room. Which was basically what we were doing tonight. It became a tradition for me to sneak into the kitchen, snag some snacks, and sleep in his room that night.

   Because both of us wouldn't fit on his bed, we used fluffy blankets and pillows to sleep on. Neither of us minded, really.  
   Tonight, I brought snacks I bought myself because his snacks sucked. It was stuff like low-calorie salted popcorn and apples. And, well, I use “bought” loosely. I just turned into Chameleon and used my invisibility to steal snacks without anyone seeing they were gone. If I really wanted, I could turn people invisible with me or objects. Objects were easier, but Adrien didn't need to know that. Actually, as much as we talked and shared about ourselves, I never thought to reveal myself as Chameleon. Until tonight, that is. He was my best friend. He deserved to know and I was terrible at keeping secrets. I was terrible at very many things, actually.  
   As Chameleon, I had gained Chat and Ladybug’s trust. Ladybug would put up with my lame flirting and Chat’s puns while we teamed up. I would turn Chat or Ladybug invisible as needed while Chat and I distracted the Akuma and Chat was comfortable enough to tease me when I would be clumsy, with my words or actions. We worked as a trio. And in my civilian life, I was essentially Adrien's sister and was very good friends with Alya and Nino. I even DJ’d with Nino some nights for fun. But I felt my biggest success was my friendship with Adrien.  
   He was my greatest accomplishment. I had become the second person in his life that he confided in. He told me some things he didn't even tell Nino. Not that I was in competition with him, Nino was a great person. I just wanted Adrien to know he had more than one person he could open up to. That he was loved.  
   Marinette was still on the fence about me. I didn't know how to fix that. I wished she did like me but I feared I ruined that when I went to live with Adrien. I wouldn't trade what I did for the world, though. I would've been another expense they couldn't afford and had no room for. But I was very grateful for the friends I did have. I was even friends with that quiet, artistic boy with the red hair in class named Nathanaël. He was terribly sweet and calming to be around. We would talk about art and draw together. We mostly just listened to music and talked.  
   In three days, it would be my birthday. I would be eighteen. Adrien already had his birthday and we had celebrated it in secret with Nino, Alya, and Marinette because his father didn't approve of parties. He didn't approve of anything and he would certainly hate me if he met me. Marinette seemed to have gotten over a lot of her anger about me, which I was happy about. But she still didn't like me very much. I guess jealousy does that.  
   “What game do you want to play tonight?” Adrien asked me.  
   “Question game,” I responded, much to his surprise. We had never done this before. We usually played video games on our sleepover nights.  
   “Well, okay. Sure.”  
   “What do you know about Chat Noir? You said you were his friend. That must mean you know something about him.”  
   “I… I don't know. Élo, why are you asking this?” he asked, his face showing that he was starting to get closed off.  
   “Because I have a secret. You know how I have no family, right? I was left on the orphanage steps in Cuba and the only thing I had with me in the basket was a letter with my first name and blood type and a gold necklace. Well, my real name is Maria Valdez. But I legally changed it to Élodie. I… I moved here to find Ladybug and Chat Noir. I needed to know I wasn't alone. And I found them. But I also found you and Alya and Nino and Marinette. I found family where I didn't know I would. Because I was always invisible. I was a number in a system that was against me.” I looked down at the chocolate pretzels I had brought and let out a breath. Adrien remained silent, letting me finish.  
   “I… I want you to know everything about me. Because you're my brother in everything but blood but in every way that matters. I trust you more than anyone. I… well… I am Chameleon,” I finished, feeling kind of lame. Adrien was silent for a while and I was honestly too scared of his reaction to look at his face. Then, I found myself in his arms. His thin hand was at the back of my head and his other was at my back.  
   “I know. I saw you turn back into you once by accident. I just wanted you to tell me when you were ready,” he said into my hair and pulled back so he could look at me. I scrutinised his face, very confused.  
   “What? How could you have -”  
   “You used your Kwami to make me breakfast on my birthday without anyone knowing. I woke up early and saw things turning invisible. Then you turned back,” he said and shrugged. “You're not very good at keeping secrets, little chameleon.”  
   “I never had to. I had no friends to keep secrets from. But now that you know, I want you to meet someone very important to me. Her name is Arra. She's my Kwami. She helps me turn into Chameleon. She means well a lot of the time and keeps me grounded. Made sure I didn't grow up feeling completely alone,” I smiled and fished her out of my pocket. Arra sat on my hand, not bothering to float because she was sleepy. She looked around with her big eyes almost closed but smiled sleepily at Adrien when she saw him. Adrien had an affectionate look in his eyes and slowly pet her scaly head. Then Adrien looked up at me, a playful grin on his face and mischief in his eyes.  
   “Question game, Élodie Beaumont. What do you know about Chat Noir?”  
   “He has wild blond hair, green eyes, he used to be too skinny but he looks healthier now. He makes lame cat puns… well, puns about everything, really. He's caring. He checks in with me sometimes after he and Ladybug dealt with an Akuma. Selfless. Um… he calls Ladybug ‘bugaboo’ sometimes. He… he has the power of destruction but he uses it for good. He's never serious about anything except for his love of Ladybug. That's it,” I shrugged, looking at him. Silently willing him to tell me.  
   “Then I guess you already figured it out, Élo. Who is Chat Noir?” He looked at me until the lines between Chat Noir and Adrien blurred and they became one and the same. It was true, Adrien acted more like Chat the more comfortable he was around you. In the mornings, his hair looked like Chat’s. Even their lame jokes were the same. I felt stupid for not seriously considering it further.  
   “You. You're Chat Noir,” I said softly, looking at him. By looking at him, I could see that the real Adrien was a mix of what people thought he was and Chat. He was both. He had always been both. But the smile he was giving me and the look in his eyes cemented it for me. My hero partner was my friend in my civilian life. For some reason, I was very glad about this.  
   “Okay, okay. Confession time. The first time I saw a picture of you, I considered you to be Chat. But the more I got to know you, the more I separated you from Chat. Until now, where I can't imagine not seeing you as the same person,” I smiled and shrugged a little.  
   “I've gotten better at hiding it, is all. So now that this is all out in the open, can we talk about something else? Like… your crush on Nath,” he said, that playful smile still on his lips. I messed up his hair, laughing a bit.  
   “I - I don't. Nath and I - we're just friends. He's really cool - creative. He's - we're - ha no. No. I don't - I don't have a crush on him,” I spluttered, not even believing myself. Adrien laughed a bit.  
   “Yeah I totally believe you.”  
   “Prick. Fine. Two can play at that game. You've been fighting with Ladybug for years and you're still not dating her? Don't you love her?” Adrien looked down and I realised too late that it was a sore spot for him. “I'm sorry, Adri.”  
   “No, no. It's fine. It's just… complicated. She told me once that she's in love with someone in her civi life. It was a kind of passing comment. I don't want to disrespect her wishes so I just flirt with her. She never thinks I'm serious anyway. It's… it's the closest I can get to what I want. But as pretty and strong as a lot of other girls are… they don't compare,” he shrugged and looked up at me from under his lashes. Arra was already asleep in my hand so I just put her back in my pocket. I nodded a bit.  
   “That's who you think wrote that letter taped to your wall. Ladybug.” He shook his head.  
   “I used to. But after that, not anymore. I know it was someone else now. But it makes me feel better to look at and imagine it's from Ladybug or at least someone who loves me.” I rubbed his back and rested my head on his shoulder.  
   “Look, you know how Marinette is kind of… not very friendly towards me?” Adrien nodded but didn't respond. “She has a crush on you. And it's bad. I would really like to be her friend but she feels like I betrayed her because I came to move in with you after I found out she likes you. They were completely separate incidents but she thinks they're linked. Like you said, she's an amazing girl. And Ladybug is clearly not going to show any interest… could you please ask her out on a date to my birthday party? Please? She would be over the moon and maybe it would get your mind off Ladybug and it would probably make her stop hating me so much,” I rambled, looking at him pleadingly. I stuck my bottom lip out.  
   “I wouldn't want to lead her on, Élo.”  
   “Then actually go on the date with her, Adri. Give her a chance. Come on. She loves you just like you love Ladybug. Wouldn't you want Ladybug to give you a chance?”  
   “Well, I guess you're right. Okay, okay. I'll ask her. For both of you.” He smiled and I hugged him with one arm.  
   “Thank you.”  
   “Well, we better get to sleep. We have school and a photoshoot tomorrow. And who knows, there could be an Akuma attack,” he said softly and kissed the top of my head. I nodded and we moved the snacks off the blankets and curled up on it. We slept about a foot from each other but held hands. He smiled at me softly, his eyes sleepy and happy.  
   “You're the best sister ever. I'm glad you came to live with me. So we're not alone,” he said softly and closed his eyes.  
   “As long as we have each other, we'll never be alone,” I whispered and closed my eyes too. I heard his breathing slow and once I was sure he was asleep, I fell asleep after him.

   I had a seat next to Nathanaël in school, all the way in the back. I helped him finish his work; I was much better now with my French thanks to Adrien and Alya. Nath wasn't too interested in schoolwork and I didn't blame him. But I helped him keep his grades up and he helped teach me how to draw. Nath talked about how he wanted to be an illustrator for graphic novels and will probably go to university for a “comic book degree” as he said. He was such a calming person to be around, even though you could feel his passion boiling underneath his skin. I had never met anyone like him. His smile was shy and polite, always looking like he was in on some secret but he was willing to share it. He confided in me that he dyed his hair the bright red that it was. I told him I never had money to cut it, let alone dye it. I would cut my hair as short as I dared then let it grow out then cut it again. But boy did I have a thing for those ocean blue eyes.  
   “Your hair is nice. I like it. It would be interesting to draw. If you don't mind,” he looked down then back to my face, that small smile playing at the corners of his lips. I blushed a bit and looked away.  
   “Y-yeah. No, I wouldn't mind. That sounds fun,” I smiled and immediately chided myself. I sounded so lame. I, for some reason, couldn't come up with a better adjective than that. So much for confident and aloof.  
   But of course, my happiness couldn't last long. Well, at least not this form of happiness. There were screams outside and I just knew it had to be another Akuma. Adrien looked back at me and I nodded. I got out of my seat, made a dumb excuse to the teacher, and left the classroom without waiting for her response. I heard Adrien a few steps behind me and I snuck into the girl's locker room and Arra flew out of my pocket.  
   “This really doesn't sound good, Élodie. Maybe we should hurry!”  
   “Arra, scales on!”  
   I ran outside and caught up to Chat Noir.  
   “You're just as quick as I am, Chat. Come on, let's go get this Akuma,” I grinned, a fire in my eyes. They were red, I knew. Passion. It was time to get to work and, man, did I love my job.  
We ran out of the school and he used his baton to launch himself on a rooftop. I just climbed the walls and stood next to him. Ladybug swung up to us.  
   “Have you seen it? The Akuma?” I asked. She shook her head and we started running in the direction of the screams.  
   A girl in a black leotard and purple tutu was turning people into dancers. But it didn't seem like it was really changing the flexibility or strength of the people so I couldn't imagine going en pointe was very comfortable. The dancers moves were graceful but violent.  
   “Any guesses on where the Akuma is?” I asked.  
   “Her shoes, maybe?”  
   “From the looks of it, she's light on her feet!” Chat said and I really couldn't help but laugh. Ladybug just groaned.  
   “Well, at least her outfit is en pointe,” Chat winked. I covered his mouth.  
   “What's wrong, kitty? Cat got your tongue?” I smirked. Ladybug glared at us.  
   “Less jokes, more fighting,” she sighed so I slung an arm around her shoulders.  
   “Oh come on, Bugsy, you know you're the only one for me,” I said and winked at her. She just sighed and looked at me.  
   “Chat, go and distract her. Chameleon, clear the way and don't hurt anyone,” she rolled her eyes and swung off the building. I looked over at Chat and grinned.  
   “She wants me,” I joked then jumped off the building, Chat behind me on his baton. Don't hurt anyone? Doesn't she know who I am? Of course someone was going to get hurt.  
   “Prepare for trouble!” I laughed, getting her attention. I dodged one of the dancers.  
   “And make it double!” Chat backflipped out of her range and I rolled away.  
   “Can you both -” Ladybug started but I pulled her out of the way too.  
   “Do our jobs?” I grinned and winked at her. Her ears went red and pushed me away from being hit. Chat was swinging at The Dancer with his baton but he kept missing her.  
   “Why don't I show you a real pas de chat?” He seemed very pleased with that one and proceeded to start dancing. It was more him messing around than a real pas de chat. This seemed to upset her so she started dancing/attacking with more viciousness. She nearly struck Chat but I got in the way. I fell back but rolled through it and got right back on my feet. Now her attention was on me. I was too distracted to really pay attention to what Ladybug was doing, but I did hear her call for a lucky charm. I turned to see what it was and that accidentally gave her the upper hand. She swung a kick into my ribs before I could defend myself. I gasped, hearing a crack, and doubled over which gave her the opening for another kick. I fell back but I was too dizzy to roll through that one. I started trying to crawl away and I looked over to see Chat distracting her. I regained my wits and got up, getting back into the fight. The other dancers were attacking really any person that was close to them. I started fighting one of the ones that noticed me until they picked me up and threw me into a pole.

   Everything was blurry after that and I couldn't hear very well, but I know I heard Chat scream “Élodie”. I muttered “Adrien” as a kind of plea for help. It didn't sound better than a gurgle to my ears and I struggled to breathe before I blacked out.

   I woke up to beeps and a warmth on my hands and a bright light. I opened my eyes and saw Marinette and Adrien holding my hands. Alya, Nino, and Nath were in the room too, standing around my bed. I had no idea what happened or why they all looked a mix of scared and sad. It was a bit unnerving to wake up to, I'm not going to lie. I struggled to smile to ease the tension.  
   “Am I in heaven?” I rasped, still drowsy. Marinette just smiled a bit but Adrien looked defeated, broken. No, please. I had to look away because I couldn't take his expression. It pained me more than my injuries. His eyes were a lighter green and bloodshot from crying.  
   “No. You, uh, fell down some stairs. You were hurt kinda bad. So we - Adrien and I - took you to the hospital. The doctors said you were okay, just waiting for you to wake up. A bit bruised but fine. Adrien said he'd take care of the medical bills. But you can go home tonight,” Marinette said, squeezing my hand a little. But there was nothing in her eyes but concern. I should've known she was Ladybug. No one but Adrien and Ladybug would've known what really happened to me. Nino patted my shoulder softly and left some flowers he and Alya paid for. Nath awkwardly kissed my cheek and left a handmade get well card on the blanket for me. I quirked a half-smile at him.

   Marinette said she was waiting for her dad to come get her and no one questioned why Adrien was staying. As soon as the room was empty, Adrien pulled my hand up to his cheek.  
   “Don't you ever scare me like that again. I thought I lost you,” he whispered, looking down. Marinette let go of my hand to pace the room, looking flustered.  
   “So you, Élodie, are Chameleon. You're Chameleon. And you - you - you're Chat. How long have you known this?” she asked and suddenly I remembered Adrien calling my name while I was still Chameleon. I nodded slowly, not looking at her. Marinette eventually stopped pacing and sat back down.  
   “Marinette, I don't have any feelings for Adrien. At all. Not like that. Adrien is like my brother. We are the family we never had. We're family. That's all. I - I knew your parents didn't have the room for me and couldn't afford to house me. When Chat Noir said he knew Adrien and could hook me up with a place to stay, I thought it was a good solution. I never meant to make you think I liked Adrien that way,” I blathered on and finally looked at her. She nodded, her lips pursed. I bit the inside of my cheek.  
   “I'm sorry I got so jealous. It really wasn't right of me. I shouldn't have,” she said, looking embarrassed.  
   “I think we were both kind of at fault,” I bit my lip. Adrien looked at Marinette in the same way Chat Noir looked at Ladybug, his hand still holding mine.  
   “Hey, um, Marinette. This all got a lot less confusing all of a sudden… with you being Ladybug and all. Sorry, by the way. I was going to take her by myself. So… would you… um. Well, Élodie’s birthday is in two days… would you like to… go to her party with me?” he asked and I looked at him. He could do way better than that. Marinette blushed a dark red and started stuttering before she calmed herself down and looked at Adrien the same way Ladybug looked at Chat.  
   “That would be purrfect,” she grinned and I looked at Adrien who was starting to laugh. He clasped his hands over his chest.  
   “A woman after my own heart.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You have got to be kidding me. Adrien?" Ladybug nearly shrieked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter but I figured you would kill me if I didn't put in a reveal. being that Élodie is unconscious, it's in 3rd person.

   Ladybug had captured and cleansed the Akuma but for the first time, Chat wasn't paying attention. He pushed past all the confused people, past the main Akuma victim, past Ladybug - and straight to Chameleon.

   She was on her back, splayed out at an awkward angle, her normally light brown skin looked pale. Before Ladybug had captured the Akuma, he had screamed Chameleon’s real name: Élodie. The girl who became a sister to him. She had gurgled a word he assumed was his name but blood had spilled out of her lips instead. The blood was still colouring her parted lips but he could hear she was breathing normally now. He picked her head up and placed it on his lap, tears in his eyes. He had watched her get her ribs kicked in then thrown into a pole and he had done nothing. He took her necklace off and Arra flew out and landed on the sidewalk next to him. Everyone was gone, they had all run away. Adrien ripped his own ring off and Plagg flew out. He stroked Élodie’s hair away from her face. He knew Ladybug was behind him so he turned his head to face her, not caring that he had revealed himself to her.  
   “You have got to be kidding me. Adrien?” Ladybug nearly shrieked. Adrien wasn't in the mood for shock. Marinette called off her transformation and caught Tikki. Now it was Adrien's turn to stare. He felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. And even more like an idiot for not giving Marinette a chance.  
   “Marinette? You're Ladybug?” he asked, his jaw slack. She knelt by him and checked Élodie's pulse then put her fingers under her nose.  
   “She's alive and breathing. But we should probably take her to the hospital. We'll, uh. We’ll talk about this later,” Marinette told Adrien and he nodded, his attention back on the girl in his arms. He picked her up and Marinette put Plagg in Adrien's pocket then put Arra and Tikki in hers. She stopped Adrien to put the necklace back on Élodie.  
   “Let's get going. We don't know how badly hurt she is,” Adrien said and moved her so her head was on his shoulder instead of slumped back.  
   “What will we tell them? When they ask what happened?” Marinette asked.  
   “I don't know. We'll think of something,” he added before going silent. So many thoughts were running through his head about Ladybug - Marinette - and Élodie. But because he was worried about Élodie, he pushed his thoughts about the whole reveal aside. Now was not the time.  
   They made it to the hospital and he made up a half-assed story about how they were playing around and she fell down the marble steps before he could catch her. No, she had no family. Yes, she was living with him. No, there's no need to call his father because he wouldn't come or even pick up the phone. It's been thirty minutes since the incident. They didn't want to call the ambulance because it would be bad press for Gabriel Agreste.  
   Finally, they accepted it and he went with them because he was the closest to a blood relative she had. Once they had checked her out, they said they couldn't explain the blood in her mouth because none of her ribs were broken and there didn't seem to be anything wrong internally. Adrien knew, though. Probably before Marinette had captured the Akuma, she had a broken rib or something of the sort that made it so that she was drowning in her own blood. He knew, deep down, that he had almost lost her. The dread that puddled in his stomach was familiar because he had felt the same thing when Ladybug allowed herself to be nearly eaten by a dinosaur.  
   The nurses wheeled the still-unconscious Élodie into her own room and by the time they said they allowed visitors, Marinette had already called Nino, Alya, and Nath to tell them what happened. Nino had hugged Adrien when he walked in, knowing he needed it. Alya looked questioningly at Marinette but said nothing.  
   “Do they know what's wrong?” she asked, standing by the foot of the bed. Adrien sat down and held Élo’s hand.  
   “Concussion. They said she'll wake up. Her back took the worst of it, it's covered in bruises. But he said other than that, she's fine. Just after she wakes up to not let her sleep for the next twenty-four hours,” Adrien said almost automatically. He wasn't even sure it really came out of his mouth. Nath was standing awkwardly in the corner, drawing something. Marinette talked to Nino and Alya, saying that she had been around when Élodie fell but didn't elaborate as to why. She looked at Adrien then told Nino to stay with him while Alya and her went to go get food. Marinette bought three cookies and a cup of fruit being that Arra told her on the way that she loved raspberries. Alya bought real food and they walked it upstairs. Marinette dropped the cookies and fruit into her purse for the Kwamis and sat by Élodie’s bed, holding her hand. Adrien just looked blankly at the sheet. They both wondered when she would wake up. Then her eyes opened and she cracked a weak smile.  
   “Am I in heaven?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why can't we all just find a way to be happy?” she said softly as the song ended. I slowly dropped my hands from her.

   Adrien called Gorilla to pick us up from the hospital a few hours later. The doctor said I was bruised and I hit my head but that was all, so Adrien had to stay up to make sure I was okay. I didn't want Gorilla to pick us up, he would rat me out to Adrien’s dad. Then I would be out on the street. And I certainly didn't want to be watched round-the-clock by Adrien… or anyone for that matter.   
   “The Gorilla might be hired by my dad, but there's a lot of stuff he doesn't tell him. Natalie is the one who talks to my dad, not him. He'll just take us home, okay? Then we can have another sleepover to pass the time,” he smiled. Marinette checked her phone then looked back at me.   
   “I told my parents where I was. I need to be home soon. If there's an Akuma attack tomorrow, you should probably stay out of it. You're not useless, but I don't know if you can fight with your head messed up. It probably wouldn't be safe. And you'll probably be tired too. Okay? So just take it easy. And I'll be at your birthday party. It's at Alya’s place, right?” Marinette said and smiled at me. I wanted to tell her I was fine but I knew Adrien would back her up about not going back in until I was 100%. I didn't blame them, I completely understood. We would do the same for each other. I nodded and smiled a bit.   
   “I actually forgave you a few weeks ago. Tikki, my Kwami, kept telling me I was being ridiculous. I had to agree. I have a birthday present for you,” she smiled awkwardly. I smiled back at her and nodded.   
   “Thank you for taking me to the hospital. I don't know why though. It doesn't seem like I was really hurt,” I said thoughtfully.   
Adrien and Marinette had a shared look of horror and they both shuddered.   
   “My fix-all repaired you pretty well but… you were badly hurt. You - you… I don't know. There was blood… you were struggling to breathe. I cleansed the Akuma and we went to check on you. You were breathing normally again but you didn't wake up. I had detransformed and so had Chat - Adrien - and we just decided to take you to the hospital. You detransformed in his arms. I think this belongs to you. She was worried,” Marinette said and out of her coat pocket came Arra. She flew into my chest and I hugged her to me. “She's been well-fed.”   
   “Thank you. Thank you so much. For everything. I'm so grateful. But you should go. It is late and I've been discharged,” I smiled a bit and stroked Arra’s head. I pulled Marinette to me and kissed her cheek. She waved goodbye to us both, smiled shyly at Adrien, then walked out. Adrien helped me out of the bed and I pulled the curtain so I could get dressed. I saw the bruises across my ribs but I consoled myself in the thought that they would heal and I could wear a bathing suit again. I didn't look bad in one, even if I wasn't very skinny. I pulled on my jeans that were black with red and pink flowers, my white tank top, and my black jacket. Adrien had seen that a lot of my clothes were old and worn so he had gone shopping with me for new ones. I tied the top part of my hair back and walked out.   
   Adrien slung an arm around my shoulders and we walked out the door and into the waiting car. I surveyed the area, feeling tense. Adrien looked ill at ease though but that didn't make me feel better. When we finally got to Adrien's house, he looked at me and I nodded. I called for my suit, then my invisibility. I held Adrien's hand so he knew where I was and we buzzed into his house. The gate opened again but I still hated it so I walked quickly through it.   
   Safely back in his room, he sat with me and played video games with me all night to make sure I didn't fall asleep. I felt bad for making him lie about being sick so he could skip the photoshoot and making him stay up with me when I knew he needed sleep. But he kept telling me it was okay and he was choosing to do this. That he would do anything for his family. I had never felt so loved and I knew he hadn't either before he met me. So, somehow, it was all okay. I texted Alya, Nino, and Nath that I was okay and I was back home with Adrien before I put my phone away and continued playing with him.

   My birthday. I had never had one before. In Hispanic culture, a Quiñces is a big deal for fifteen year olds. I never had one so I guess this party will be the substitute for it. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Nino promised to share DJing duties so he could have a few dances with Alya. But because of the traditional father-daughter dance for Quiñces (even though it was a few years late), Adrien promised me a dance in between his dances with Marinette. They were practically attached and they couldn't take their eyes off each other. I was really happy for them both, even if I was a bit jealous. I danced with Alya in place of Nino and occasionally got Nath to dance too. Ivan and Mylené were dancing together and it was honestly really cute. Juleka and Rose danced too when Rose could convince her to get off the wall. It wasn't often, but it was worth it to see Rose’s face.  
   I looked over at Nino and moved my finger so we could switch. I kissed Alya’s cheek and fixed my green dress. Marinette gave it to me early so I could have it to wear to the party. It showed off my curves and didn't bunch up awkwardly anywhere and my favourite part was that it had pockets. I got up to the platform and hugged Nino before he went to go dance with his girlfriend. I looked at Adrien and Mari, winking at them. Marinette giggled and Adrien grinned in a very satisfied way. I laughed and continued Nino’s playlist. I set up the next three dances and hopped off the platform and walked up to the boy with tomato red hair. I held out my hand, blushing a bit. I hoped he didn't notice in the dark lighting.   
   “Would you like to dance?” I smiled and he put down his notebook and pencil then took my hand. I walked backward onto the dance floor (Alya’s patio) and started dancing to the beat. Nath danced awkwardly but he was smiling so it was okay. Near the end of the third dance, I pulled him a bit closer and pecked his lips softly. I could feel my face heat up and he just stared at me before leaning in for another kiss. I took a step back. I didn't want to admit that it was my first kiss.  
   “Sorry, Nath. Gotta get back up there,” I said and bit my lip, smiling. I walked away and went back to the platform. Adrien and Marinette were already waiting for me.   
   “It's my turn now. Then after, Marinette has asked for a dance,” Adrien grinned, looking very much like Chat Noir. He was even wearing black tonight and I had made sure his hair was messy. Marinette was in pink with black dots over her bust so it wasn't exactly Ladybug’s colours, but they looked great together. I nodded and set up the next two dances as well and Adrien helped me off. He pulled out a microphone Nino gave him and handed it to me. People stopped dancing and looked at me. I never had so many people looking at me at once.  
   “Well okay. This is new to me. I've never had a birthday party. But in Cuba, there's a big birthday party called a Quiñceneara, traditionally on a girl's fifteenth birthday. I'm about three years late on that one. But this is my version of it. And normally there's a father-daughter dance but being that I don't have a father, we're turning it into a… brother-sister dance. Because Adrien is the closest to a real family that I've ever had. So he should have this honour. So yeah,” I said and slowly handed the mic back to Nino before taking position with Adrien. His hand was placed lightly at my waist while his other hand held mine. He smiled then stepped into the beat of the song. It was slow, of course, but our dance didn't feel romantic or intimate. It felt chaste and polite, even though he was smiling devilishly.   
   I hadn't noticed Nino got back on the platform and changed it to a faster song. I looked over at Adrien and started laughing when he spun me out and started dancing, so I followed his lead. I pulled Marinette in when I got close enough to her and she pulled in Nath. Alya jumped in and Nino left the platform to dance too. When the song was over, I pulled Marinette to me and started dancing with her. She was just as beautiful as the day I first met her and just as cute as when I would make Ladybug blush.   
   “You look beautiful, you know,” I said to her suddenly. I looked into her blue eyes. Gosh, they made me weak.  
   “Y-you do too, Élodie. That dress looks great on you,” she smiled, looking away.   
   “Well, someone very talented made it. A good friend of mine… you're just as beautiful as the day I first saw you,” I whispered. She looked up at me again although we were the same height.   
   “You know, I thought you were pretty cute when you were Chameleon. Who knew that the standoffish, quiet girl could be so outspoken and flirty?”   
   “You don't know how quick witted I am in my own language. I just needed to get more confidence in my French,” I said, a smile playing at my lips. I bit my lower one to hopefully stifle it. Marinette smiled and giggled a bit.   
   “I think Chat Noir was a bad influence on you.”   
   “He's had very little influence on me. And even smaller influence on my attraction to you. But you're with Adrien and I wouldn't dream of separating such a perfect couple,” I said, my voice still low. Marinette blushed and looked down.   
   “Why would anyone need to be separated? Why can't we all just find a way to be happy?” she said softly as the song ended. I slowly dropped my hands from her.   
   “I guess we'll all need to have a talk then, beautiful. See you later,” I winked and spun her around into Adrien's arms. She laughed and looked up at him, completely entranced by him. I walked off to the kitchen to get something to eat. Alya followed me into it and closed the patio door behind her. Oh no.   
   “Can I ask you a question?” she asked me. I stuffed a lettuce wrap in my mouth and nodded. This couldn't be good.   
   “How did you get Adrien to ask Marinette out? She's been in love with him for years and he never even looked at her. I've been trying to get them together for years then you just walk in and it happens. How did you do it?” she asked and sat on the counter. I swallowed and touched my curly hair.   
   “I, uh. Well, I just asked Adrien to look at the whole picture. Not just who he thought Marinette was. But her as a whole person. I guess he fell in love with what he saw. You were doing it from Marinette’s side but she already loved him. Adrien was the only one who needed convincing… and food,” I laughed a little. "Can't think on an empty stomach."  
   “Yeah, he seems healthier now. I guess you've been feeding him on the side?”   
   “Yup. I make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us both but with food from my country. There's no such thing as healthy Cuban food,” I smiled and ate another.   
   “Well, I just wanted to thank you. She looks really happy. And, surprisingly, he does too. Nino's seen a change in him since you've been here. It's like you're good luck,” Alya laughed but I shook my head. She looked at me curiosly.  
   “No, no. Marinette is good luck. I'm just simply invisible. I blend in. I fit in where I need to. I see things other people don't because they don't notice me. It's just simply finding out where I could be of some use and I help out when I can. I'm a catalyst that gets the ball rolling but isn't there to see the action unfold. If there's one thing I don't have, it's good luck,” I smiled softly and shrugged. Alya hugged me then pulled away to look at me.   
   “You're a lot better than you think you are. I'm glad you're my friend,” Alya smiled and went back outside. Nath came in and smiled at me.   
   “So… about that kiss…” he started, looking at my face which made me lower my eyes from his.   
   “Oh sorry if that made you uncomfortable or anything -”   
   “Would you like to go out with me? Like on a date?” he asked in a rush so that I had a bit of trouble understanding. Then when I did, I nodded and hugged him.   
   “Yes! Of course! This weekend sound good? We can work on our science project,” I smiled. He laughed a little.   
   “I was thinking the movies or the park,” Nathanaël smiled. I shrugged, grinning.   
   “That project has to get done. And if I know you, you haven't started. I'll help with that.” He touched my hair and nodded.   
   “Okay, okay. Well, I have to go. I'm glad you're okay. I'll see you tomorrow at school. I'll save a seat for you,” Nath smiled shyly and I giggled a bit at his attempt to flirt. I kissed his cheek and nodded. He walked off and I went outside. It was about eleven at night and people were already starting to say goodbye. I thanked people for coming and their presents until it was just me, Adrien, Nino, Marinette, and Alya. We sat in her living room and I opened presents. Marinette and Nath got me painting supplies, and Marinette snuck in a hat she made for me too. Adrien got me clothes that he knew I needed, Alya got me a book to press flowers into, and Nino got me an iPod (probably with Adrien's help). I hugged each one of them and cleaned up the mess before putting it all into the backseat of Gorilla’s car and got in after saying goodbye to everyone. Marinette said she was sleeping over at Alya’s and Nino said his house was around the corner.   
   Back in my room, I found a place to put it all, carefully took off my dress and hung it up, and took my makeup off. I pulled the pins out of my hair and I was glad that the only thing Alya put in it was coconut oil to make it soft. I said goodnight to Adrien then went to my room and fell asleep almost immediately. Arra slept right next to my head. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do I have parmesan to kiss you?” he asked coyly and I started laughing.   
>  “You're such a dork. How did I ever think you were cool?” she laughed.

   I woke up to a crash but it was somewhere in the house instead of outside. I looked down at myself in a long shirt and shorts I figured it was good enough. I didn't want to wake Arra so I left the room and went into Adrien’s. I couldn't find him or Plagg and usually his Kwami was snacking on his Camembert on Adrien's pillow or desk to bother him. I checked the bed to make sure he wasn't there and heard a thump. Running out of the room as quietly as I could, I made it down the stairs just in time to see Adrien thrown against a wall. I got down the steps and went to pick him up. He looked at me.   
   “Where's Plagg?” I asked him.   
   “In my room hiding. Arra?”   
   “Same. What's going on?”   
   “I am the Designer. I will become the greatest fashion designer in the world. But first, I need to kill the man who shamed me: Gabriel Agreste,” the man in a very fabulous villain outfit said. I looked at Adrien and he shrugged.   
   “My dad talked trash about some other designer. I guess he got mad? What do we do without Ladybug?” He asked me. The Designer went to attack us again, throwing a ruler at me this time. I did a backflip to get out of the way.   
   “The only thing we can't do is cleanse the Akuma. But we can free it. Or at least distract him until one of us can get to a phone,” I said and made a roundhouse kick to his chest. He stumbled back then clapped his hands and sent a bunch of pins flying toward me. Adrien grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me out of the way.   
   “You shouldn't be fighting. You're probably not completely healed,” he warned me.   
   “He's after you and your dad. I think my head is the least of my worries. Go call Ladybug. I've got this guy,” I grinned and ran at him, jumping and landing a punch to his face. Adrien ran into the kitchen to get the landline. The Designer grabbed my shirt and threw me but after having it done a few times, I rolled through it smoother and landed on my feet.   
   “That's all you got, you two-bit designer?” I laughed and he came at me. I jumped onto the railing of the stairs and flipped over him.

   “You think you can out-wit a street thief? How cute.” I knocked a table over so I could hide behind it while I thought of what to do. From under the table, a tape measure slid until it was around my ankles and up my thighs to my torso. He grabbed my shirt and pulled me up so I was wiggling for some sort of advantage. He dropped me and hovered over me, his ruler in his hand. I saw a tape measure around his neck and I figured that was where the Akuma was.   
   The ruler was whipped out of his hand by a yoyo and I bought my knees to my chest and kicked him off. Adrien came back with a knife and untangled me. I got on The Designer’s shoulders, holding his head with my legs.   
   “The tape measure! The one around his neck. Get it,” I said, keeping him still. Adrien kicked his chest so he fell to his knees and Ladybug took it and snapped it.   
   “Bye bye, little Akuma! Didn't even need to use my Lucky Charm this time,” she smiled and cleansed the Akuma. I heard footsteps so I ran into the kitchen and hid. I could hear Adrien’s dad chastising him and Ladybug for the noise and the destruction. Ladybug was trying to tell him the Akuma was after him and he said he didn't care, that it was time to go. Then his dad said something I wished he never had: “why can't you do anything right?” I was shaking in the pantry when his dad walked into the kitchen, silently cursing him. I made sure my breathing was quiet and when he was satisfied, he told Adrien to go to sleep and left. When I could hear his footsteps go up the stairs and angrily slam the door, I slowly got out of the pantry. Adrien met me at the doors of the kitchen and hugged me.   
   “Thank you so much, Élo. Let's get back to bed, okay?” he said softly, looking a lot like he did when I first met him. Sad and defeated. I rubbed his back as we walked upstairs, trying to make him feel better. He went into his room and closed the door. I took the hint and went back into my room. After a few hours of worrying, I fell asleep next to Arra.

   Nath was smiling at me a lot in class but I couldn't really pay attention. I was looking at Adrien whose head was bent down. Nino looked back at me for help but I just shook my head sadly. I nodded towards the door and he nodded. He looked at Alya and Marinette and probably told them to meet outside for lunch. Nath noticed our interaction and he looked over at me.   
   “Is there something wrong?” he asked softly. I nodded.   
   “Yeah. Adrien's dad. I'll see you in Lit, okay?” I told him as the bell rang. I squeezed his hand and picked up my stuff. Nathanaël held my hand and looked up at me, smiling a bit.   
   “I hope everything will be okay,” he said softly and I nodded. “See you after lunch.”   
   I walked out after Nino, Alya, and Marinette and we stood in the hallway. Adrien was nowhere to be seen.   
   “Do you know what's wrong with Adrien? I haven't seen him look like that in months,” Nino asked me. Marinette looked at me. Alya and Nino couldn't know she was Ladybug. This was on me.  
   “His dad was a huge jerk last night. He yelled at Adrien for being too loud and asked him why he couldn't do anything right. Then he went upstairs. I don't know, Adrien seemed really upset,” I looked at him. Marinette looked really angry.   
   “Why, I could - I could - gosh, he's so - so - horrible! Adrien does everything he asks and he just - he…” Marinette grumbled, starting to pace. Nino rubbed his face and Alya had a look of pure hatred.   
   “How do we help Adrien?” I asked, looking around at them. I was past anger for the moment. I just wanted Adrien to be okay.   
   “Let's do something for him. Something we haven't done. Let's take the rest of the day off school and spend it doing things he likes,” Nino offered.   
   “Then you two can take him to his modelling gig so he doesn't feel like he disappointed his dad,” Alya smiled. I nodded and looked at Nino.   
   “Can you call him so he'll be outside when we get there?” Nino nodded and texted him. I texted Nath, telling him that I wouldn't be coming back to school today and that I'd talk to him tomorrow.   
   It took us about thirty minutes to run to Adrien's house and he was already standing outside.   
   “What is it?” he asked, his hands in his pockets. Marinette looped her arm through one of his and Nino took the other side.   
   “Don't ask, just enjoy,” Nino smiled and started walking with him and Mari. I looped my arm through Alya’s and walked behind them.   
“Italian or Chinese?” Marinette asked Adrien. He looked confused for a moment before responding: “Italian”. Nino and I sang pop and Disney songs loudly as we walked, dancing around and Marinette spun Adrien. He was laughing and hopping around with us and Alya took pictures and videos of us being silly. We walked into a pretty cheap Italian place and got a table. Nino was animatedly talking about how my party was the best gig he played because he got to dance with his favourite girl to his music surrounded by his friends.

   Mari said she had so much fun making my dress and hat that she was thinking about designing a vest for Adrien, feeling quite confident after winning that design contest. Alya said she got a lot of great footage for her Ladyblog of us dancing and singing, saying that her followers wanted to see some stuff about her life too. I joked that Adrien might be sick of Cuban food (which was all I knew how to make) which was why he chose to eat Italian. We just got two large pizzas, one with extra cheese and one with lots of meat and olives. Adrien held up a canister with parmesan cheese and looked at Marinette, blushing.   
   “Do I have parmesan to kiss you?” he asked coyly and I started laughing.   
   “You're such a dork. How did I ever think you were cool?” she laughed.   
   “Meow-ch. Please give me an answer because I Camembert your rejection,” Adrien winked and she just covered her face, her shoulders shaking.   
   “What did I do to deserve this?” Marinette lifted her head and gave him a chaste kiss which made him blush more. By the end of lunch, there were just a few pizza crusts on the metal plates and Nino, Alya and I chipped in to pay. We got up and Marinette dragged him into an arcade. We played different games and I played Dance Dance Revolution with them. Adrien beat me at the last minute and we brought all our tickets to the desk and got various prizes. I checked my phone and told Marinette what time it was.   
   “Hey, Adri, we have one more thing. But this is from Marinette and I. Well, Alya came up with it but we're taking you,” I smiled. “They didn't want to come.”  
   “Yeah. Alya and I are going to the movies. We'll see you later,” Nino hugged him and they walked off. Marinette and I walked him over to the studio and looked at him.   
   “We'll wait in your dressing room for your breaks. You are amazing, Adrien. You do everything right. Your dad had no right to say that to you. He was wrong. He doesn't deserve you,” Marinette said to him and I nodded from behind her. Adrien teared up and hugged us both, his face pressed to our shoulders.   
   “Thank you so much for today. Thank you all,” he whispered. He pulled back and kissed my cheek and kissed Marinette’s forehead then went inside. We followed behind him and he gave us a pass so we could go inside his dressing room. We watched as he got his makeup done and he went behind a curtain to change into the clothes. It was then that I realised my clothes were from his father’s women's line. It had the same feel to it, like a trademark. I felt sickened even though the clothes were nice. I wore clothes designed by my best friend’s biggest bully. But so did he. To hide my disgust, I smiled at him and told him he looked nice. Marinette echoed my compliment and he beamed.   
   “Having you guys here makes this a lot more enjoyable,” he smiled and hugged us both, then ran off to start the shoot. I turned to Marinette and I guess I didn't appear happy because her face changed to mirror mine.   
   “You're still mad at his dad, aren't you?” she asked. I nodded.   
   “How can I not be? Adrien has no self esteem and he latches onto anyone who validates his emotions, like he did with me. His dad is never around and when he is, he tears him down. There's no excuse for that. Adrien was right. When I first came to live with him, he said his dad was like God. That he controls everything until it's satisfactory. He wears his dad's clothes, ate the food his dad starved him with, did everything his father told him to do. Now, I eat food from his father's kitchen, I wear his father's designs. I've been trying to make it better but there's nothing I can do as long as he lives with him. You should've seen his face last night, Mari. It was like someone tore apart the progress we made and brought him back to square one. So yes, I'm still mad. I'm very mad. Adrien does everything he can to be perfect and it's never enough. He doesn't deserve this,” I said, my voice getting louder and louder as I went on and I even broke into Spanish halfway through until Marinette covered my mouth. I glared at her but she didn't remove my hand.   
   “Then we improve his life in any way we can. You live with him. You can teach him to cook or we can take him to my parents’ bakery and we can teach him how to make sweets. Take him out to the arcade. Walk him to his modelling gigs or fencing or Chinese. We, all of us, make sure that he doesn't feel alone. And… we take him to the school therapist. It's all I can think of. But we make sure that even if his dad does get to him, we're there to be the calm after the storm,” Marinette said, her eyes so passionate I nearly got distracted. I got lost in them for a moment but nodded slowly. Boy, did I have a thing for blue eyes. “Good. Now, let's sneak off to get him treats. He looks like he could use some.”   
   I turned into Chameleon and made myself and Marinette invisible too and we walked out. My invisibility wore off quicker being that I was making two people invisible so when Arra popped out of my necklace, I caught her and put her in my pocket. I promised her raspberries and we ran to the Dupain bakery and picked up cookies, croissants, tarts, and cheese and mushroom quiches. Tom told me he was glad I was back and I just nodded, still uncomfortable around adults.   
   We made it back in fifteen minutes and got back into his dressing room. I gave Arra a handful of raspberries from the bakery and she munched on them happily. Adrien came back, looking a bit down, so we offered him the snacks we brought with us. He cheered right up and happily ate what we brought. I absently thought he looked very much like a cat when he was in his food bliss. I smiled, messed up his hair then he made an annoyed sound around the cookie and attempted to fix it. He tried to mess up my hair but it didn't look any different.   
   “You girls want to be in the photo shoot with me?” he laughed. Marinette and I nodded at the same time, grinning. His wardrobe coordinator started giving us clothes and the makeup guy started doing Marinette’s makeup. I got dressed behind the curtain and switched with Marinette. They had to use a darker palette for my skin because it was tan. It was a light tan, but still darker than Adrien's or Marinette's skin. I had nice shimmery gold eyeshadow that brought out my green eyes. There wasn't much that they could do with my hair so they pinned the side of it back with a sparkly pin. Adrien took my hand and spun me around because I was done first. He picked Marinette up and spun around with her when she was done.   
   “You both look beautiful. Let's go,” he smiled and I snagged another cookie and shoved it into my mouth carefully as we walked down the hall into the studio. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He sat upright and into my arms. He wrapped his arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder.

   “Can you hurry up? Removing the Akuma from this little brat isn't how I planned to spend my afternoon,” I rolled my eyes. Ladybug glared at me but I just gave her a sunny grin in return. It was one and a half months before we graduated college and Marinette was tense. I had no future, so I didn't worry about it. But all this Akuma business was stressing her out more because it took time away from her designs. She told me they had to be perfect because she was trying to get a good scholarship and a prestigious internship.   
   “And you think this is how I want to spend mine?” she asked, flustered. Before the kid could make another tantrum that could make cracks in the ground, I used my invisibility to get close enough to punch him in the face. I laughed as the little tot flew back.   
   “Cham! I thought I told you don't hurt anyone!” Ladybug chastised me. I called off my invisibility and held up my hands in mock-innocence.   
   “It wasn't me,” I said sweetly. I winked at her and kicked the kid when he flew back. The kid flew into one of the buildings he tried to level. Ladybug crossed her arms and glared at me. “Fine, fine. Have it your way. You're no fun.”  
   My moral ambiguity bothered her when I would get a bit carried away with my invisibility. Over the past three months, I had used it to screw with the class asshole Chloé, steal some snacks from the market, and ruff up the Akuma victims a bit too much.   
   Adrien had kind of gotten used to how I was, understanding that it was just a product of where I grew up. Marinette was annoyed by it even though she could be selfish too. She wasn't perfect either but she matched my passion almost exactly. Adrien didn't understand why this happened so often. I chalked it up to sexual tension. Marinette chalked it up to me being amoral. I wasn't. I was more… morally grey. That wasn't good enough for her but I really didn't care. Okay, I did but I wasn't going to change who I was.   
   Chat Noir pretty much gave no mind to what I did during fights anymore. Now, he just worked around me.   
   “Oi, Bugsy, the Akuma is in his - Chat!” I said and moved him out of the way. The little boy had stomped on the ground and left a huge crack that nearly swallowed Chat’s feet. We had finally talked Adrien into not sacrificing himself for Marinette because it really bothered her but they had said no such thing to me.   
   “Chameleon!” Chat said and tried to pull my leg out of the crack. I just shook my head.   
   “Help Ladybug. I'm fine,” I said and smiled at him. He looked a bit worried but after a moment of wrestling with the alternatives, he went to go help fight the kid off. I got lower to the ground and started trying to pull my foot out. Even if he had offered to use his cataclysm, I wouldn't have let him waste it on getting me out. It was best used elsewhere. Both their powers were best used elsewhere.   
   “The hammer. The Akuma is the hammer,” I heard Ladybug say from my place on the floor. I continued to try to pull my leg. I watched Chat use his baton to get the toy hammer out of his hand and Ladybug caught it. Once Ladybug cleansed the Akuma and shouted “miraculous ladybug!” I was out of the ground and cheered. I walked up to Chat Noir and Ladybug. I felt a bit like crap because I couldn't help more but at least Chat Noir and Ladybug weren't hurt. And that was thanks to me.  
   “Pound it!” I laughed and Chat tapped my fist with his. Ladybug placed her hand on my shoulder and kissed me quickly. It was very quick and looked impulsive. Chat just stood there, his jaw slack. Ladybug looked down while I just stared, my face burning. My eyes turned pink swirled with yellow: embarrassment.  
   “Why don't you ever do what I ask?” Ladybug muttered, looking embarrassed herself, and I knew my expression mirrored Chat’s. “Can you both stop that? It's sometimes hard to believe you're not related.”   
   Before either of us could speak at all, Ladybug swung away before she revealed herself as Marinette to the whole of Paris.   
   I could feel Chat staring at me now so I slowly turned to face him. I hated the look in his eyes, it made me sick.  
   “We, um… we'll talk about this later. See you at home,” I said and ran away. I didn't want to begin to try to understand his expression.

   Marinette was really stressed about her designs, or so she told me at school the next day. I didn't really respond to her when she spoke. I couldn't. Adrien was upset, understandably. I heard him crying in his room and wouldn't let me in. I spent most of the night listening to him. Today, he wouldn't look at me while Marinette struggled to make it less awkward with us both. It wasn't working. Nino, Alya, and Nath had no idea why we were acting this way but I guess they knew better than to ask.  
   School let out for lunch and I told Nath that I had to go talk to Adrien so I couldn't go with him to the café. He kissed me softly and said he understood. I was glad someone did. Nathanaël said he could come with me and I figured it would be a good idea. I told Marinette to meet me at the park and when we were let out, I slung an arm around Adrien's shoulders and practically dragged him with me.   
   “What is it, Élodie?” he asked, defeated. Nath walked behind us.   
   “We all need to talk about what happened yesterday. I just want us to be okay again. We all need to talk to each other about this. I don't like it either but siblings fight and they always work through it,” I said and tried to smile. Adrien didn't respond. When he saw Marinette he looked even sadder, if it was possible. Marinette looked down. I sat Adrien next to me on the grass and Nath sat next to Marinette.   
   The next half hour felt like three, trying to come to an understanding. Marinette stood up and paced while Nath just kind of looked around in a confused fashion, Adrien looked sadder and more jealous. Until Marinette and I got an idea.   
   “It's like… a family. There's just… more love. More love to go around. No one loves someone more than the other. I don't love Élodie more than you. I love you both the same. I love you both so much. I shouldn't have to choose between my love for you,” Marinette said and held Adrien's hand.   
   “And I don't love Marinette more or less than Nath. I grew up without a lot of love. This feels like the… maximum amount of love I can get. I don't want to have to give up someone I love to be with someone else I love. We can find a way to make this work. We don't have to choose. We can find a way to be together peacefully and happily, I know we can. Please,” I said softly. Adrien looked up, tears in his eyes.   
   “I can use a good, loving family,” he said softly and smiled, tears running down his face. I hugged him first, then Marinette, and finally Nath joined in.   
   “We need to be open with each other, honest. That's the only way this will work. We need to communicate our feelings to each other calmly,” Marinette said.   
   “You mean the opposite of how you and Élodie do it?” Adrien asked and I could feel Nath chuckle against my back.   
   “I'll work on it, jeez. Okay?” I laughed. Adrien kissed my head and nodded. And I did. I tried to not steal anymore fabric or food and I became less violent in fights. I just really wanted this to work. I would do anything.

   The next two weeks were bliss. All four of us went on double dates with Alya and Nino to cafés during lunch breaks and all three of us took Adrien to his fencing and Chinese lessons and waited around for him during his photo shoots. Things were going great until they weren't.   
   Adrien was having a nightmare tonight. He was screaming my and Marinette's name. I could only imagine he was having a nightmare about one of the close calls we had while fighting the Akumas. I left my room and ran to his side, holding his hand. I tried to keep him quiet so his dad wouldn't wake up.   
   “Adri, please wake up. I'm right here. I'm right here. Please, please be quiet. Adri, shhh. It's okay,” I whispered to him. He sat upright and into my arms. He wrapped his arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder.   
   “You - you're alive. You're okay,” he huffed into my hair and I nodded, making soothing sounds. I sang to him softly, a song from a band he liked. The Run And Go by Twenty One Pilots. I sang it slower and sweeter so it sounded more like a lullaby. He slowly relaxed in my arms then went tense again.   
   “Adri, what -” I asked but a voice cut me off. A voice I had only heard once, months ago. One I wished to never hear again. But I was never that lucky.   
   “Get out of my house,” Gabriel Agreste said and I could feel Adrien's fingertips dig into my back, trying to keep me there.  
   “It's okay, Adrien. It's okay,” I whispered and pulled back to look at my best friend’s bully.   
   “I will leave… under one condition. Leave Adrien alone. He's not your slave. He doesn't deserve the shit you give him just for existing. He's an amazing person and he deserves far better than you,” I said, standing up to face him. He was a foot taller than I was but I still squared my shoulders and glared at him unflinchingly. I was not scared of him.   
   “Good speech. He's my son and I will do what's best for him. Now get out of my house,” Gabriel said, staring at me the same way. I turned to Adrien and held his hand.   
   “You are my brother in everything but blood. We are family. Never lose hope, mon petit chat,” I whispered and walked out of his room. I didn't have time to change out of my shorts or shirt so I just put the clothes Adrien and I bought together, the clothes Marinette made me, and other various gifts and possessions in my two bags. I left my worn clothes from Cuba in the closet and I looked at the picture we took a few days ago of our new family (Alya and Nino obviously included) and folded it in my hand. I was being watched by Gabriel the whole time so in my final goodbye, I pressed the picture in his hand.   
   “Our family. Always,” I told him and walked out. I called Marinette to see if she had space on the couch in her room left for me. I climbed in through her balcony and she hugged me. I told her what happened and she nearly shrieked.   
   “He did what? Oh my gosh that is completely unacceptable! How dare he!” She said before she covered her mouth, remembering how late it was. We went to sleep in her bed. Over the next three days, I snuck into his room to leave food I cooked for him (with the recipe written on a post-it note on the top of the package) for lunch and dinner but I snuck in for bed.

   I got kicked out of the mansion for sleeping in my room three days in a row before I stopped trying. It was mostly for Adrien's sake. I stopped sneaking in to sleep so he wouldn't get more shit from his dad. I ended up sleeping in Alya or Mari’s house for the last month of school. I always dropped dinner off for Adrien every night though. We all had lunch together and still took him to his plans but he looked a bit sadder. Until one day, at the park. Marinette was sitting in my lap and Nath was drawing us, putting extra detail into my messy brown ringlets. School was done and Nath, Marinette, and Adrien all got accepted into the same university. Marinette wasn't in a fashion program, but it was as close as she could get.   
   “Guys! I have the perfect solution!” Adrien grinned, looking happier than he had in a month. He had a paper in his hand.   
   “The perfect solution to what?” I asked, trying not to move so I wouldn't ruin Nath's picture. Adrien knelt by us and handed us a paper. I opened it and Nath put down his notebook. It was an apartment.  
   “This. Doesn't it look amazing? It's by the park, two bedrooms. The kitchen is kind of small and there's only one bathroom. But it's perfect. We should be able to afford it,” he smiled. I looked at Nath and Marinette.   
   “I like it. It's kind of small but it's great,” Nath smiled at Adrien.   
   “All of us? Together?” I asked.   
   “Living in one apartment?” Marinette added.   
   “Yeah. I… you're my family. I love you so much… we could be together. Like a real family. Are you two in?” Adrien smiled. Nath nodded.  
   “I'm in,” I smiled. Marinette agreed.   
   “Good… because I bought it yesterday."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If I wasn't careful, I could get Akumatized. Wait...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it always bothered me how couples who claimed to be in love never even had fun together or anything so I decided to do this!

   University was a whole new beast and certainly not one I could afford. It had been two years and a lot has changed while not much has. Marinette and Nath were getting degrees in their respective arts (or as close as Marinette could get to a fashion degree) but Adrien was taking a vague business degree the university offered. Alya was taking a journalism degree and Nino was becoming a full time DJ. Nino went with Alya to Nice so they could stay together, which I thought was really cute. It didn't take long for Adrien to take an interest in Nath and a year after living together in a two-bedroom apartment. Adrien and I made dinner every night and I made lunch for them between classes when they would stop at the bakery. I decided to take an apprenticeship with Tom and Sabine, being that Marinette was going into fashion and there would be no one to take over the bakery. Plus, I liked baking. And for some reason, they liked me.   
   Nath's birthday was coming up in a few weeks and I was trying to set up a birthday for him. It was summertime and everyone had schedule conflicts. Adrien had upped his modelling gigs so his dad would pay for college, Marinette was an apprentice for one of the men who worked under Gabriel Agreste, and Nathanaël was doing an apprenticeship with a comic book illustrator. It's like we were all on different planets until lunch and dinner came around. We called Alya and Nino every week to update them because they were in uni in Nice and couldn't get to Paris very often. So, at dinner, I called a family meeting. I took in the tired expression on Adrien's face and Marinette’s red fingertips from pricking them with pins and the charcoal under Nath's nails. Mari’s hair had grown out a bit so she now kept it in a braid, Adrien's hair was swooped back with product so he didn't have to cut it, and Nath kept his hair in a ponytail a lot of the time so he could draw in peace. They were growing up and so was I. I grew a bit so I was an inch taller than Nath but I kept my hair the same because it was difficult enough to deal with as short as it was. Adrien was the oldest now, at twenty and Nath was the youngest at nineteen. Adrien's mental health improved greatly when he started to see the school therapist and we finally moved in together. Nath was the calming force in the apartment, making sure Adrien wasn't stressed and Marinette had help when she needed it. Marinette (with the help of Tikki) made sure everyone was getting done what they needed to get done, although she would slack off too. But there needed to be more than responsibilities that kept us together.   
   “How about we have a sleepover night. Like Adrien and I used to. No work, no stress, just ordering in pizzas and relaxing together? We've all been really busy and I feel like we should try to really be a family again. Things are really hectic and it might be a good idea to just take a night off from it,” I said and bit my lip. I just missed my boyfriend and girlfriend. I missed Marinette's energy and Adrien's silliness and Nath's tranquility. Now, we just wandered around the apartment like ghosts or we were passed out on our beds. We told Nath last month about our hero identities. It took a lot of pleading from me to get Mari and Adrien to consent. Nath got scared at first, but mostly scared for us. For our safety. The second reason he was scared was because our Kwamis creeped him out at first. Now, he spent some days drawing Arra and Tikki. Plagg annoyed him but I was glad to share my Camembert with him. Adrien joked that I was disgusting but I would give him a cookie and he would stop complaining. Adrien loved Tikki and usually shared his cookies with her. Marinette and I got along with Arra and Plagg.   
   “That actually sounds like a good idea. A date night kind of. A night a week we can just relax with each other and take time to focus on our relationships. You guys for it?” Marinette said and held my hand. I kissed her cheek which made her blush.   
   “I like the sound of it. I miss our sleepovers. I never had them as a kid. And this isn't much different except that I'll be surrounded by my favourite people,” Adrien fluffed my hair and kissed the tip of Marinette's nose. Nath pulled me into his lap and traced his nose along my neck, making me shiver.   
   “I like it. What day?” he murmured against my skin. I hadn't thought that far ahead but I couldn't do much thinking when he was doing that. I looked to Marinette for help.  
   “Saturday? It's the only day we all have off at the same time. Except for you, Élo. But we can help out in the bakery until you close up. That sound good to you guys?” Marinette smiled and I leaned forward to peck her lips. Adrien tapped my nose when I pulled away and I laughed. Nath nodded and Adrien did too.   
   “Do I have to wake up early?” Plagg complained from his seat on the table. Arra rolled her eyes.   
   “Good question. Do we? You know, to help you open up?” Adrien asked me. I shook my head.   
   “Nope. Tom and Sabine help me open up every day. You can show up when you want, model businessman Adrien Agreste,” I teased him and he groaned.   
   “Remind me that when I marry you, I'm taking up your last name,” Adrien said to Marinette and her eyes got wide and she started stuttering.   
   “Hey, no fair! If he gets to take her last name then I want to take yours,” Nath smiled into my neck and kissed softly.   
   “Beaumont isn't even my real name, my love,” I laughed shakily.   
   “What is it then?”   
   “Maria Valdez,” Adrien said and I glared at him. I even hated the sound of it. Maria Valdez was gone. She was dead. I was no longer that poor, unfortunate orphan girl.   
   “Well that makes more sense being that you're from Cuba. Why did you change it?” he asked, resting his chin on my collarbone.   
   “I gave up everything my mother gave me. Just like she gave me up. All I had from her was my name, Maria, and a gold necklace. I sold the necklace and used the money to legally change my name. I wanted to move to France to find a sort of family with Ladybug and Chat Noir so I chose the Frenchiest name I could think of. So yeah. Élodie Beaumont isn't my real name. And I hoped to never have to use the one my mother gave me ever again. Thanks, Adrien,” I muttered and he smiled at me. I wasn't really mad, more annoyed at hearing the sound of my name again.  
   “Think of it this way: you lost your blood family but you got something better. A family that chose you to be a part of it. That's a hell of a consolation prize to me,” Adrien said and held my hand as Nath's arms tightened around my waist. Marinette held my other hand.   
   “Well, when you put it like that,” I laughed and pushed Adrien's chest so he fell back.   
   “How many times have I saved your dumb butt, again?” he teased me, sitting up again.   
   “Less times than I saved yours. Always sacrificing yourself. Someone has to be around to pull you out of doing dumb things,” I laughed. Adrien stuck his tongue out at me and pushed a cracker into my mouth.   
   “I'm not the one who came late to my class and disrupted it just to bring me lunch,” Adrien grinned.

   “Oh, then told the teacher that you were my other girlfriend.”  
   “I thought it was funny! I'd never date you so it was funny to me.”  
   “You also came into my art class telling me that I didn't do last night's dishes.”  
   “And you burst into my class and said I left my fashion stuff all over the living room and you were my girlfriend, not my mother. Hate to break it to you, dear. You have a way of making yourself known,” Mari grinned and tapped under my chin with her fingertip. I took that as an invitation for a kiss so I gave her another one. She just laughed against my lips. I didn't have the option of going to college like they did. Walking into their classes was the closest I could get to it.  
   “You're as silly as this kitty,” she turned and kissed Adrien, still giggling. The sound was music to my ears. Adrien blushed, kissing her back.  
   “You should've seen her last night. I was trying to be romantic and she just kept laughing and trying to tickle me. She's just as ridiculous as Adrien,” Nath smiled and kissed my neck again. I couldn't argue. Adrien and I influenced each other over the time we lived together.  
   “Oh, come on. You were fine with my silliness last week,” Adrien winked and flashed that devilish smile. I looked over at Nath to see that he was blushing.   
   “What? You like to talk about it but don't like other people bringing it up,” I smirked. Adrien high-fived me and stuck his tongue out at Nathanaël. In response, Nath pinned me to the ground and started tickling me. Taking her cue from Nath, Marinette jumped in and started tickling me too. I was giggling and trying to push them away but my Knight in Ripped Jeans pulled me out from under them. We circled each other around the table, then around the couch, until Nath jumped over to tackle me. I caught him so he couldn't hurt himself but he used it to his advantage and pulled me to his chest so he could tickle me better. While Marinette was distracted, Adrien picked her up and started tickling her too.   
   “Okay, okay! I give! I give,” I laughed, wiggling around. Nath turned me around and kissed me softly and I felt butterflies in my stomach for another reason. Marinette threw one of the pillows on the couch at my head.   
   “Hey! Tonight is my night, Nath! You sleep with Adrien, remember?” she laughed and I pulled away from Nath to kiss Marinette.   
   “Hell yeah I do!” Nath grinned, his cheeks red. Almost as red as his hair.  
   “Oh come on, now I'm left out. How rude,” Adrien teased so I heard Nath walk over and kiss him. I opened my eyes and laughed a bit just because the height difference was about the same as the one between Adrien and I so Adrien had to bend down while Nath was tilting his head up.   
   “Okay, okay! Dinner! Gosh, trying to eat with you people is an event in and of itself,” I laughed as Mari wrapped her arms around my waist.   
   “Fine, fine. Dinner, clean up, then cuddle time,” Nath grinned.   
   “Cuddle time? We need sleep,” I said and crossed my arms.   
   “Nope. Cuddle time. I agree,” Adrien grinned so I looked to Marinette for support.   
   “Sorry, my love. Cuddle time wins,” she smiled and kissed my cheek.   
   “Fine. Okay. But if you're all tired tomorrow morning, don't complain to me,” I sighed and Marinette scooped me up and put me on the rug we used to eat dinner on. Marinette easily could carry Adrien or me and she usually did so during Akuma attacks. I had a habit of making large portions of food and no one used real plates so we all just picked at the dishes at the centre. The meal tonight was seafood paella, sweet plantains, and pork shoulder marinated in mojo. I obviously had Adrien's help being that he enjoyed cooking with me. When dinner was done, we put the plates in the sink.   
   “Not it!” three of us chimed in at once and Adrien just gave us an annoyed look.   
   “Really? Three against one? How is that fair,” he pouted.   
   “Sucks, doesn't it?” I laughed. Adrien rolled his eyes, chuckling.  
   “I get it. But if I have to wash, you have to dry.”   
   The next thirty minutes involved Adrien spraying me with water and bubbles while I smacked him with a dish towel. Marinette had to intervene so we could actually get done in time to cuddle.   
   We tried to decide on a movie but we all had different tastes. We eventually settled on a Disney movie and piled onto each other. By the end of Meet The Robinsons, Adrien and I were in a puddle of tears and Nath and Mari needed to comfort us. Plagg called us saps but I gave him a piece of Camembert to shut him up. I don't think Adri or I stopped crying from beginning to end. We understood how Lewis felt and the people who loved us knew we did. They didn't judge us as we sobbed, just held onto us the whole time.   
   “I'm actually tired. I'm going to sleep. Anyone who wants to sleep in my bed better hurry up,” I grumbled and got up before Nath, Adrien, and Marinette pulled me back down and held me there.   
   “Let's sleep here tonight. I actually really missed you guys. We haven't had much time to be in love with uni and all the Akumas recently. Please? Can you not be so uptight for once?” Marinette asked me. Uptight? Gosh, that's what I'd become? That's what they thought of me, or at least the woman I loved? I had been tired lately because baker’s hours are ghastly and I spent a lot of my time running to their classes to bring them lunch on days they couldn't stop by. I was running on autopilot without taking into consideration the fact that with all this responsibility, I had turned into a boring adult. Exactly what I hoped would never happen. I had needed to feel useful and in that desire, I had forgotten to do what I did for them in love. In the monotony of life, I had become dutiful instead of loving.  
   I tried to convey this to them and Marinette apologised and my face got peppered with kisses from all three of them to show they weren't annoyed with me. Adrien made sure to not kiss my lips because he did it once and we were both disgusted. Marinette had laughed but Plagg made gagging sounds.   
I sighed and relaxed against my family and eventually we fell asleep.

   It was slow in the bakery today but I wasn't bored or tired at all. I was too busy thinking about Nath's smile and Marinette's eyes. It had been a slow week for the Akuma business too, being that it was summer. No stressed-out college kids for another month but the wedding business was booming. Summer weddings were a big thing in Paris and I got to see it first-hand. Although Adrien joked about marrying Marinette, I knew he was hesitant about it just because I was also with her and he didn't want the messiness of “primary partners” because a relationship hierarchy wasn't for us. Marinette felt the same way but said she would like a private party to celebrate her family. All of us have talked about changing our last names so we all had the same or similar ones. It wasn't exactly a marriage but it was perfectly fine with us. Nath said he was too shy for a large wedding anyway and he couldn't think of anything less romantic than professing your love in front of a whole group of people. I was perfectly happy with how things were with all of us. But it seemed that many other people didn't think the same way we did, having big, over-the-top, expensive weddings. I didn't judge them, but I preferred my family life over that.

   For some reason, today was very slow so Tom had gone upstairs to rest, letting me take care of everything on my own. I came back to the floor with a fresh tray of warm cookies just in time for a man to walk in. I tied the crown of my hair back and started placing the cookies in the display, occasionally looking up at him.  
   “See anything you like?” I asked, smiling pleasantly. He gave my body a once-over as best as he could with half of it hidden behind the counter. I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. That was gross.  
   “You, of course. Where's that accent from? It doesn't sound very French,” he smirked but it made me feel slimy.   
   “Same place as me. Havana, Cuba,” I said, the smile still on my face but my voice was getting tight. He bit his lip and I kind of wanted to throw up.   
   “Long way from home, aren't you, little girl?” he almost purred, but it didn't make me laugh like when Chat does it. And I didn't like being called “little girl” being that I was twenty.  
   “Excuse me a moment,” I said and nearly ran up the stairs.   
   “Tom! Tom! There's this man downstairs and he's being really creepy. I'm scared. It's so gross,” I said, shaking. He touched my shoulder and had gotten off the couch once he saw my face.   
   “Go to the bathroom and clean up. I'll deal with him, okay? Then take the rest of the day off. Go home,” he said and went down the stairs. I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. I was pale and my eyes looked watery as if I were about to cry. Arra flew out of my pocket and floated in front of me.   
   “Let's get out of here, okay? I think Adrien is free right now?” Arra told me. I just shook my head, trying to think.   
   “N-no. Nino is in Paris today. He's with him. I wouldn't want to ruin their time together. And Marinette is with Alya. Nathanaël is in class. I'll just go home and wait for them to come home. Arra, scales on!” I said and closed my eyes and when I opened them, my eyes were orange: fear or discomfort. I just tied the rest of my hair up and walked out of the bathroom. I opened the window in the main living space and jumped out. I scaled the drainpipe and got to the roof and started running. I needed to get my anxiety out somehow. If I wasn't careful, I could get Akumatized. Wait…

   “No. You are not Akumatizing that man,” Marinette said, her arms crossed. My account of what happened didn't go well across the board. Alya and Adrien were ready to kill, Nino tried to calm me down, Nath was concerned and anxious, and Marinette was the only one with a level head. Something I really didn't need right now. I needed her passion, not her reasoning.   
   “Or I am and you can't stop me,” I snapped. Adrien stood up and got between us.   
   “We don't even know if he's a real problem yet, okay? If he comes by again, we'll discuss it -” he said but Marinette started on him.   
   “We're not discussing anything, Adrien. We aren't going to get him riled up so he can be Akumatized. It's not happening,” Marinette growled. I moved Adrien out of the way and got in her face.   
   “Oh, so you're there for Adrien when he has problems but the minute someone is really creepy to me, it doesn't matter?”  
   “We didn't Akumatize his father, now did we?”   
   “Always the good little Marinette, never willing to do a bad thing to get the job done,” I growled, my voice low. “You're perfect Little Miss Ladybug.”  
   “Stop it! Jesus, stop it right now! Why don't you both calm your shit and revisit the problem when you can discuss it like human beings who love each other. God. I'm not saying Élo is right or you are, I just need this fighting to stop. This is ridiculous. You guys love each other. You shouldn't be fighting over this,” Alya yelled over us. I sighed and Marinette looked down. We had told Alya and Nino about our hero business at the same time we told Nath and Alya had shut down the Ladyblog that night. We asked her about it and she said that she knew the truth, but no one else did at the risk of her best friends safety. But when she was around, she participated in our conversations about our hero lives, which we could see she enjoyed.   
   “She's right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask you to abandon your morals just because mine are sketchy or because I was upset,” I said softly. Marinette bit her lip.   
   “Okay. I'm sorry for yelling and not trying to see your reasoning for what you said,” Marinette said stiffly and I could see in her eyes she wasn't sorry at all. But I didn't want to keep fighting about it. We would just go in a circle and not get anything done. I would try again tomorrow and from how she looked at me, she knew. For the moment, we agreed to disagree. But if that guy came around again, I would do it and apologise after. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, especially with Marinette. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know what to do,” she smiled at me and I fell in love a little more.  
>  “Always.” I grinned and we charged towards the chaos together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter but whatever :)

   I could hear groaning from the room next to mine and I knew it couldn't be Nathanaël just because it didn't sound like him. Plus, he was out getting groceries and I'm not sure groceries involved getting it on.   
   I got out of bed and walked over to Adrien's room, opening the door. Hey, if they were dumb enough to leave the door unlocked, I was going to open it.   
   Adrien dove into the blankets so I couldn't see him (thank god). Marinette wasn't so quick so she just glared and covered her chest with her arms but I could still see her pink lace bra. From her face, she still hadn't forgiven me for last night. That was to be expected.  
   “What the heck, Élodie!” Marinette yelled and I heard Adrien laughing.   
   “If I can hear you, so can the neighbors. And they probably hate us enough for the screaming match last night. Use a gag if you can't shut up,” I said flatly, crossing my arms. Marinette got out of bed, a fire in her eyes. Anger. It had been two years since it was so blatantly directed at me. The rush it gave me was intoxicating. She always tried to be good, but I loved that bad side of her too. Her passion, her anger gave me a rush. It wasn't often that she was like this, but it reminded me that she was human.  
   “What has gotten into you? God, you've never been this bad,” she snapped. Adrien peeked his head out of the blankets to watch. I could see his messy blond hair and green eyes from where I stood.  
   “Sorry I'm not as pure and good as you. I don't have that option. But can you just try to see this from my point of view? I know it's hard because you never had anything bad happen to you -” Marinette cut me off, putting her hand in my hair and kissing me. I hated fighting with her. I didn't know which one of us was crying, but I could feel her shaking under my hands. I had grown to understand why she did this. It wasn't because she wanted me to shut up, like many men did, it was a way to clear her mind and stop the fighting. And she always knew the right time. This was her civilian version of Lucky Charm, and boy did it work. I could feel her straighten her back under my fingertips and she pulled away, the anger having left her face.  
   “I'm sorry. For real this time. I… I'm sorry,” she whispered against my lips. This time, I knew she was telling the truth.  
   “Finally!” Adrien cheered and I pulled farther away from her. We both ran to the bed and tackled him while he hid under the blankets. I heard the door open and close, keys being tossed and bags being placed down. Nath's footsteps reached the door and I turned my head to look at him.  
   “Oh come on, without me?” Nath laughed and kicked his shoes off to jump on the bed too. I kissed him hello then Adrien did. Nath looked at Marinette and I, his arms around us.  
   “You guys okay?” he asked, his ocean blue eyes earnest.   
   “We're not mad anymore. But we still need to discuss what's to be done,” Marinette said and I agreed.   
   “But right now, we're okay,” I said softly and held Marinette's hand.

   The man showed up again a week later, but I was ready. I wore my makeup like warpaint and my clothes like armour. My clothes were designed by Marinette and hugged my every curve and I put on makeup that brought out my green eyes.   
   “You look beautiful today,” he nearly purred. Well, wasn't that creepy. Thankfully, Nath came out from the back room where he was baking cookies and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. He planted a kiss on my neck, as he liked to do. I liked it when he did it too.  
   “Oh, I know I do,” I smirked. Then Marinette came downstairs and kissed my cheek, making me grin.  
   “She does, doesn't she? And those green eyes? Well, I'm a sucker for them,” Marinette trailed a fingertip over my jaw, blushing. I looked over at the man, tapping into my inner Chameleon.   
   “Want to buy anything?” I asked him, tilting my head back so Nath could plant another kiss on my neck.  
   “You know, if we're going to get together you're going to have to change some things,” the man said to me. I looked at Mari and Nath, incredulous. Did he just - oh hell no.  
   “Oh really? Like what?” I asked, deciding to pretend to humour him. His eyes raked over my body again and Nath's arms tightened around me. I knew it was to make sure I didn't leap over the counter to beat his ass.  
   “Well, I like my women to be modest but only expose their bodies to me. And my woman will only be mine, I'm not willing to share,” he said, leaning forward so our faces were a bit too close for my liking. Marinette looked about ready to punch his lights out but ended up blowing out a breath and throwing her hands up.   
   “Oh. My. Gosh. I'm not qualified for this,” Marinette said, clearly exasperated already. Nath let go of my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.   
   “Good thing she's not yours. She's not mine, nor Marinette's. She's her own person. She's allowed to do as she pleases. People don't own people. How about you ask her politely?” Nath said, his voice taking on an edge. Just feeling him next to me was enough to calm me and keep me from leaping across the counter to strangle him. Marinette placed her hand in mine. Thank god they were here. But Adrien should've been here thirty minutes ago. Marinette and I were supposed to teach Adrien and Nath how to make tarts.  
   “Would you run away with me?” he asked me and I nearly burst out laughing. There was no way this creepy guy was serious. Who did he think he was, speaking to people this way? He even completely ignored Nath and Marinette, which was really rude. They were cute as hell and deserved to be treated with respect. So did I.  
   “You know, I love Marinette. She's the most passionate, friendly, strong person I know. Nathanaël, he's so creative and caring and loyal. He feels like the calm after the storm… when he doesn't feel like the storm himself. Marinette designs my clothes because she knows my body's every curve and she loves making clothes that show them off. And I love seeing their faces when I wear it… and when I take it off for them. Wearing these clothes makes me feel good. And being with them makes me feel great. And you… you creepy, sketchy prick. You are just not up to par. So get out of here. Leave me alone. I don't need to put up with this,” I said and kissed Nath then Marinette. Adrien ran in through the door, his chest heaving.   
   “Sorry I'm late. The shoot took longer than I expected,” Adrien huffed, looking around at us. His eyes landed on the guy.  
   “Wow, I didn't peg you for a slut,” the man said to me and Adrien turned toward him slowly. Oh no. Marinette, Adrien, Nath and I had all agreed to nonviolence, but I told her I wasn't going to be pure about it. So we agreed to sass but no violence. Which was why Marinette nearly jumped over the counter to stop Adrien before he could punch him in the face. She got there too late and could only get there to pull him away before he went in for another punch. When Adrien realised he was going to get punched, he stood there until Marinette pulled him behind the counter so he wouldn't. Nath let go of me to pull Adrien behind him. The man started yelling obscenities at us until Tom came down the stairs.  
   Tom was about to say something but Nath jumped the counter, pinned his arm to his back and walked him out of the bakery. He muttered something we couldn't hear then pushed him away. I couldn't tell who was more shocked: Adrien, Marinette, or me. He came back in, looking pleased. Well, I did say he felt like a storm.   
   “What? The loves of my life are strong as hell. Why can't I be?” he smiled coyly.   
   “Okay, that's enough excitement. Take some sweets upstairs and relax. It doesn't look like I'll be needing you all here today,” Tom smiled and ushered us upstairs into the main living area with a plate of cookies. Apparently, I found out later, that man (who Tom called Beau Chastain) was always making female customers uncomfortable and even followed some of them home. He told us he was glad I finally told him off and that Adrien punched him because he was losing customers and it made him even more proud of his son-in-law and daughter-in-law. Adrien seemed very pleased with himself. When Tom went back downstairs to run the bakery, I turned to Adrien.   
   “You know being a slut isn't a bad thing, right?” I asked him. Adrien nodded, seeming to mull something over.   
   “Oh I know. Hell, people have called our family that in the magazines. I don't consider being a ‘slut’ an insult. I was just looking for a reason to deck him. And now that I know it wasn't just you he was repeatedly making uncomfortable, I feel even better that I punched him. Heroes gotta save people, right,” Adrien grinned and Marinette squeezed the hand he used to punch him, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. Adrien yelped a bit at the pain in his bruised hand. I guess I rubbed off on him over the years.  
   “Still proud?” she asked, deadpan.  
   “Oh come on. He was being completely disrespectful and would stalk women. You can't tell me he wasn't deserving of a punch,” Adrien said, staring at her.   
   “Oh, I'm not saying that. I just think Élodie should've gotten to punch him being that he was disrespecting her. Ugh, you're lucky you didn't hear what he said,” she groaned and stuck her tongue out in distaste. Adrien asked what he said but Nath told him it wasn't worth getting angry over because he was already gone. We just relaxed on the sofa together and watched TV until an Akuma attack interrupted our fragile tranquility. Three of us groaned at once and Nath slumped his tomato head back.  
   “Really? Come on. Can't we just relax today? Okay, who wants to take this one?” I sighed and started playing rock-paper-scissors with Adrien. When I lost more than twice, I woke Arra up from her nap in my purse and Marinette called for Tikki. Adrien hugged us both but kissed Marinette and Nath did the same, but kissed us both. For some reason, Nath and Mari weren't officially together but at times they acted like it. Adrien and Nath cuddled on the couch and waved at us as we jumped out of the window.   
   “It couldn't be that guy, right? The creepy dude?” I asked. Ladybug shrugged but I knew she was thinking it too. I mean, we were both wrong but it was nice to know we were thinking the same thing.   
   “You know what to do,” she smiled at me and I fell in love a little more.  
   “Always.” I grinned and we charged towards the chaos together.

   We made it home by dinner and ordered in four boxes of pizza. None of us held back, especially that Nino and Alya were eating with us. Marinette, Nath, and I told them about what happened with the sketchy guy and Alya burst out laughing. Nino just said he had it coming and slapped Adrien on the back for hitting him. Nino wasn't particularly violent but once we told him what Tom told us, he was glad someone hit him. We played music and danced, letting Marinette and Nino pick so Adrien wouldn't play his emo music.   
   It was fun that night, playing video games like we used to. Not fighting with each other. Everything seemed peaceful, which was a rare thing for us. But very welcome.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I think it's time for you to go. You're not welcome here,” I told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter gearing up for the next one!

   I woke up, exhausted and very satisfied. I was pretty spent from last night and I didn't feel like making breakfast but I knew I had to because no one else would. My walls were covered with my paintings of the park, Nath’s drawings, and pictures I had taken of the people I loved. I threw on Nath's shirt and Marinette's shorts (which made for a very odd colour combination, I must say), kissed Nath and Marinette, then attempted to brush my hair on the way to the bathroom. I put some hair oil in it to keep it from getting frizzy then tied it up. I would wash it tomorrow. I washed my face and brushed my teeth so I was a bit more awake, but not by much. I checked the bruises out in the mirror. I had a few on my neck but Nath's shirt covered the ones on my chest and stomach while Marinette's shorts covered the ones on my thighs. I stretched and walked into the kitchen.   
   I made coffee first, Cuban coffee shots. My favourite. I added some (okay, a lot) sugar and went to start making the potatoes. I cut them up, seasoned them, then set them to bake. I took a sip of my coffee and started to work on the pancakes, Adrien's favourite. It had been a week since Beau Chastain had been kicked to the curb and today was Nath's birthday. Nath loved the potatoes when I made them and he loved sharing Adrien's pancakes with him. The next time I turned around, all three of them sat at the table. Our mornings consisted of all of us wearing clothes that partially or wholly weren't ours because we found them near the bed and were too lazy to put our own clothes on. It was actually really cute to see. Nath wasn't really dressed, just had on a pair of Adrien's shorts that he stole. Marinette wore a button up shirt with most of the buttons undone and Adrien was in one of Nath's shirts. And they all looked really sleepy. I put the potatoes on a plate, the pancakes on another, and I made eggs and put them on individual plates. I placed the coffee in the middle and told them to get their own cups. I passed mine to Nath so he wouldn't have to get up. It was his birthday after all.  
   “Do you know what day it is?” I asked a very sleepy tomato-haired man. Nath shook his head, his eyes still mostly closed. When Adrien and Marinette came back to the table, I looked at them and we all hugged him and yelled: “Happy birthday, Nathanaël!” and gave him kisses all over his face until he was giggling and shooing us off because “we were going to spill his coffee with all this love”. I took a picture of Marinette and Nath then of Adrien and Nath. Adrien set up the camera so we could all be in the picture together. Adrien was doing bunny ears on me, Marinette was sticking out her tongue, Nath was giggling, and I was kissing Nath's cheek. We took a few more, all doing various poses. Finally, Marinette put the camera away and said we needed to eat. Adrien and I pretended to grumble but sat down. Nath pulled me into his lap and Adrien pulled Marinette into his.   
   “You know, you two could actually be related for how similar you are,” Marinette teased us as always so Adrien and I started mirroring each other to make fun of her.   
   “Oh my god. Be serious,” she laughed. She gave us the perfect opening.   
   “I am wild,” we echoed each other and Nath groaned. Adrien and I had gone on a Les Mis kick because everyone seemed pretty miserable in it and we felt a connection. I identified with Eponine and Adrien identified with Marius. We sang songs from the musical all over the apartment and Marinette said it was a welcome change from all the Green Day, Alesana, Brand New, and My Chemical Romance being played. That quickly ended a week later when she was so annoyed with our singing.  
   Nath shoved a pancake in my mouth and Marinette shoved potatoes in Adrien's mouth.   
   “That's enough of that,” Nath smiled and kissed my cheek as I tried to talk around a chocolate chip pancake.   
   “Shh shh. Just enjoy the pancake,” Nath laughed and I swallowed.   
   “Ugh, rude,” I grinned and kissed him.   
   “Oh come on! I haven't given him his birthday kiss! Move out of the way, sister,” Adrien laughing and pulled Nath to him. Marinette laughed because we were both inches away from each other being that Adrien crushed us together to kiss his boyfriend.   
   “Eat your frigging breakfast, dork,” Marinette grinned and kissed him. We did, while occasionally throwing cubed potatoes at each other and stuffing our faces with eggs and pancakes. Near the end of breakfast, Alya and Nino showed up. They had spent a few days with their parents and they were heading back to Nice tomorrow. There was enough potatoes and pancakes for them because I had planned for them to show up. That day went beautifully: we took Nath to art museums, out to lunch, then we came back home to pile up on the blankets until we fell asleep.   
   The day after was not as great. Gabriel Agreste showed up. He walked in, looked around at the brightly painted walls and mix-matched furniture, then his eyes fell on me. From the look on his face, he remembered me from the last time he kicked me out. I couldn't forget.  
   “Oh, hello. I was hoping the article wasn't true,” he drawled, tossing the magazine with Adrien's face on it on our table. The main article read: Adrien Agreste’s Secret Life? I slowly pulled the magazine to me so I could read it. The only two names mentioned were Adri’s and mine, because we were both models. It talked about Adrien's apartment that he shared with me and the other people he and I were dating, like a harem. The way we were described was demeaning and awfully rude. Adrien squared his shoulders, glaring at his father. I recognised him tapping into his inner Chat Noir, the part he always kept hidden from his father.  
   “It's time to stop this foolishness and come home. They're beneath you. An artist? A baker’s daughter? An orphan? They're a bad influence on you,” Gabriel said, resolute. I stepped up next to Adrien and held his hand.   
   “I think it's time for you to go. You're not welcome here,” I told him.   
   “Now, isn't that exactly what I said to you? But the street rat just kept coming back.”   
   “You don't get to talk to her like that,” Marinette snapped and stood next to me.   
   “Oh you. I knew you were bad for my son from the start. It's no surprise you turned him into this,” he said and gestured to Adrien. I wanted to kill him.   
   “No. No. Hell no. You do not get to be absent for most of my life and only show up to cement your control over me! No. There are times when you have to decide what you're willing to put up with. And it's certainly not this. I have a wonderful life with people I love and who love me. They're there for me and they support me. Something you never did. So get out,” Adrien snapped, tears in his eyes. His hand tightened on mine and Marinette had her hand on his back. Nath was holding his other hand tightly. Gabriel faltered a bit, taken aback.  
   “I am no longer paying for your college. And Marinette is no longer interning under me. Goodbye,” Gabriel said, his voice tight, and walked out. Nath closed the door behind him while Adrien sunk to his knees. I didn't know what to do or say. Marinette didn't look upset at all but Adrien looked defeated. His head bent down, his shoulders shaking. I knelt next to him and I could hear him… giggling. He lifted his head, tears running down his face as bubbles of hysteric laughter left his lips.   
   “I'm free,” he whispered over and over and Marinette ended up laughing with him. “No more modelling, no more anything he ever told me to do. No more. I'm free.”   
   “Oh, you silly cat,” Marinette giggled.  
   That day was a second celebration, this time of Adrien's liberation. He looked like when Pinocchio got to be a real boy. And this time, our happiness wasn't interrupted. We were free to be happy and in love. But that wasn't enough for me.   
   I went to the Agreste Mansion by way of the subway and walked the rest of the way in heels. I wore as professional a dress as I owned, my hair was ironed and tied up. I rung the bell and stated my name then kept ringing the bell until I annoyed Natalie into letting me in.   
   “I'm here to see Gabriel Agreste and there's no way I'm taking no for an answer,” I said, glaring at her. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You, Adrien, and Nath… you guys have a future. You guys can be great. I'm just riding on your coattails. I had to do something.”

   “Tell us about the others,” I asked Arra. Marinette had her head on my lap as Adrien gave her a leg massage. Nath was finishing a sketch on his tablet while I sat in the space between his legs.  
   “Others?” Tikki asked.   
   “The other Chat Noirs and Chameleons and Ladybugs. Tell us about them. Are there any stories?” I pressed. Tikki, Plagg, and Arra exchanged a look.   
   “It was in 1920s. New Orleans in America. Chameleon was a black maid at age fourteen -” Arra said slowly.   
   “Ladybug was a sixteen year old flapper at a club that didn't know she was underage -” Tikki added.   
   “And Chat Noir was this fifteen year old rich girl with everything she could ever want.” Plagg finished.   
   “Chat Noir considered herself better than Chameleon which led to a lot of arguments on the job. Ladybug didn't put up with Chat Noir's racism or their bickering. But when it came to Akumas, they worked pretty well together,” Tikki said softly.   
   “The night Chat Noir found out Chameleon was her maid - that night turned to chaos. A woman Ladybug worked with considered herself to be Aphrodite in the flesh and got angry when a man turned her down. So she went and became The Love Goddess.” Arra looked at Plagg to continue.  
  
    _Alma, the Chameleon at the time, desperately tried to get her madam to safety when she realised there was an Akuma outside. Miss Marie Devereux would have none of it, calling Alma terrible names. Alma didn't pay attention to it, really, even though it did pain her. She was used to the degrading way she was treated. She knew she didn't matter, that she was invisible. That's probably why Arra chose her._  
 _“Take your hands off me! Don't you know who I am?” Marie snapped at her and pushed her away. As Alma heard more screams, she knew she had to make a choice. She couldn't stay here and fight with Marie. She had to go._  
 _“I need to go, Madam Marie. I'll be back for you,” she said but when she tried to open the door, she realised she was locked in with her. The only way out was the balcony. She had no choice now. Alma had no time to waste. She looked at Marie sadly then called Arra on._  
 _“Arra, scales on!” she said and Marie watched her transform in front of her._  
 _“You? You're Chameleon? But why would anyone pick you? You're nothing,” Marie said to her but for the first time, Alma didn't lower her head and nod. She stared at her, unflinching and unwavering. Resolute._  
 _“Maybe I was picked because I am nothing. But I need to go now. Stay here,” Alma told her and Marie laughed._  
 _“You really are stupid, aren't you? I'm Chat Noir,” Marie said and called Plagg on. “Plagg, claws out!”_  
 _“But… but you…” Alma said softly but was cut off by a crash outside the window. Alma had never heard an Akuma attack be so violent._  
 _“Don't think too much of it. Your brain won't be able to understand it,” Chat Noir said before stepping up onto the railing of the balcony.    “When we come back, find yourself a new job. I refuse to have a lying maid and a useless hero around me.” Then she used her baton and jumped. Alma pushed her sadness down and jumped after her. Now wasn't the time to think about herself._

   “The battle lasted three days. It was terrible. Men were being turned into slaves and doing as she said. When she would touch women, they would die. Chameleon, Ladybug, and Chat Noir barely rested. They only left the battle when we got too tired,” Tikki said. “But that final day, everything took a turn for the worse.”

    _Ladybug was nearly dead on her feet, she was so exhausted. All three girls were covered in scrapes and bruises, but they never gave up. Until Ladybug realised something._  
 _“We can't defeat her. If we even try to get close to her, her or her men will kill us. This fight really needs to end, we can't go on like this. I can probably get her Akuma if she's distracted but she could also kill us by doing that. Does anyone else have any ideas?” Ladybug asked._  
 _“Don't look at me! I've tried trapping her with Cataclysm. Nothing works. Do you have any ideas, Useless?” Chat Noir said but turned around too late. Chameleon was gone. They knew better than to shout for her but they could guess what she was doing. Ladybug and Chat Noir ran to where they knew The Love Goddess was as fast as they could. Maybe if they found Chameleon, they could stop her._  
 _But they saw her too late. She called off her transformation and they saw the charm bracelet was in her hand._  
 _“Ladybug! Chat! I have it,” Alma yelled and threw to them. Ladybug caught it with her yoyo only to look up and see Alma, their Chameleon, taken by one of the men. She was dragged back by her tail and The Love Goddess placed her hand on Alma’s throat. Alma screamed in pain. Ladybug was about to run to her but a crying Chat held her back._  
 _“If you die too, we have no chance,” Chat whispered to her, shaking. Ladybug just screamed for her, fighting against the girl who held her back._  
 _Blood pooled out of Alma’s mouth and over her maid uniform as she screamed, but never once for help. Her dark eyes never left Marie’s crystal blue ones until she finally died. The Love Goddess dropped her body and started walking toward the remaining heroes. Ladybug didn't look like she had really processed what happened, but she broke the Akuma under her boot and cleansed it. The Love Goddess, also known as Char, dropped to her knees and looked around._  
 _“What… what am I -” then Char screamed and screamed when she saw the bloody body of Alma. Ladybug yelled “Miraculous Ladybug” and everything was fixed. The only thing that remained the same was the dead girl on the floor and the screaming that echoed in all their heads._

   “The Chat Noir of the time was consumed by guilt over the loss and how she treated Chameleon before she sacrificed herself. Ladybug felt like she had failed. They worked together for the next few years until their adult lives made it difficult to be heroes. They had to choose to be heroes full time or civilians full time. Chat Noir chose to remain as Chat Noir as… punishment for how she treated Chameleon. Ladybug chose to remain a civilian, not able to live with her choices as Ladybug anymore.” Tikki said, looking at our reactions. I could feel Marinette's nails digging into my hand but all I felt were the hot tears dripping off my chin.  
   “What?” Marinette asked, staring at her Kwami.  
   “Élodie is the only Chameleon to live to twenty. Chameleon is the first line of defence against the Akuma. Then there's Chat Noir,” Arra said, looking down.   
   “So I'm expendable? I was supposed to die?” I asked, starting to get angry. I could feel it pooling in my gut. I felt like… like I couldn't escape it. And I couldn't stop sacrificing myself for Chat Noir and Ladybug.  
   “No! No! It just happens sometimes… often. When something goes wrong. Why do you think you always step in the way so Chat doesn't get hurt or pull him out of the way?” Plagg asked me. Marinette sat up and looked at me.   
   “No. You are not expendable. Not to me or Nath or Adrien or Alya or Nino. You didn't die, Élo. That means you're smarter than they were. You always found a way out of things without getting anyone hurt,” Marinette told me, holding my hand. I sighed and nodded. Well, at least that's what I tried to do.  
   “Yeah okay. Okay. Fine.” I said stiffly. But I wasn't. Adrien could see it.   
   “Élo, is there something wrong?”  
   “I made a deal with Gabriel Agreste,” I blurted then covered my face with my hands.  
   “I can't believe what you did, Élodie!” Nath yelled at me. I looked down but I set my jaw.   
   “How could you? We were finally free of him and all you did was drag us back in!” Adrien said, pacing.   
   “You aren't listening! I made a deal with him, yes. But it was that I would be his model for the next year until you graduate uni and he would pay your way in university and give Marinette a better internship. In return, I would leave and live with him and he could exploit me in his magazines as much as he wanted,” I said, not looking at them. Adrien wavered a bit and I knew he was looking at Marinette. Being a designer was what she wanted and even Adrien had to consider it. Marinette just sat next to me and held my hand.   
   “You, Adrien, and Nath… you guys have a future. You guys can be great. I'm just riding on your coattails. I had to do something.”   
   “So you sacrificed yourself? Like the other Chameleons? Did you not think about what we wanted?” Marinette asked gently. This time, I was glad to be spared her anger.  
   “I was thinking about your futures.”   
   “Yeah. So am I. And so is Marinette and Nath. And clearly we don't want a future you're not in,” Adrien sighed and knelt in front of me.   
   “Have you signed the contract yet?” he asked and I shook my head. “Good. I'm going to talk to him.”   
   “Not without me. I've wanted to give him a piece of my mind for years,” Marinette said, putting on her shoes.   
   “Don't forget me. I'm coming to put him in his place too.” Nath said, putting his jacket on. I stood up.   
   “Guys, stop. We can't go against him. We're not strong enough,” I said, watching them get ready. Marinette turned to me and extended her hand, a sly smile playing at her lips.  
   “Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Ladybug. This is my partner Chat Noir. And our boyfriend and ex-villain Evillustrator. Care to introduce yourself?” Marinette asked.  
   “Hi. I'm Not Important,” I sighed and looked down. I thought they were going to yell at me but instead, Adrien pulled me into his arms, holding me close.   
   “You are so important, Élo. Completely. So what if you're the first line of defence against the Akuma? That just means that you're important as hell and all the Chat Noirs and Ladybugs would be dead without you. Hell, I would've died a long time ago if it weren't for you. That's really important, Élodie. Please. Don't do this to yourself or to us. My father doesn't deserve to have you under his control,” Adrien said into my hair, rubbing my back. I did what I was supposed to do as Chameleon but not what I was supposed to do as Élodie. I knew from the look in their eyes that if I didn't take back the deal, I would be making the biggest mistake of my life. I had just gotten a family, I wasn't ready to give them up.  
   “Hi. Nice to meet you all. I'm Chameleon,” I smiled tentatively.  
I wasn't exactly sure how we won against Gabriel. Maybe he just got annoyed with the three young adults screaming at him for a solid two hours, following him around the house when he would try to walk away. Finally, he burned the contract.   
   “You're dead to me,” Gabriel said to Adrien. He didn't even flinch even though from the look in Gabriel's eyes, it killed him. I couldn't feel any sympathy for him. He made his own choices and it was his fault it had to be this way. He didn't deserve my pity. He wasn't a victim.  
   “Thank god. I've waited years to finally stop being your son,” Adrien said calmly and walked out, Marinette's arm around my shoulders. Nath had his arm around Adrien's waist. We took the subway to the movies. I broke into tears while on it and Adrien gathered me into his arms again.   
   “It's okay, Élo. We'll be okay. We don't need him. We have each other. You don't need to cry,” he whispered and I nodded, feeling like I failed but on some level I was glad I did. I felt bad for crying when I knew Adrien had the more right to cry. But he didn't seem to mind. I might have lost but I won something even better. Adrien was right. We didn't need him as long as we had each other.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't be scared of this broken man. He was just as alone as I used to be. No matter what he could do, I couldn't fear him. The more I pushed, the more he cracked. Like his resolve was a damaged porcelain doll that I wouldn't stop toying with until it finally fell apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mind you, Élo doesn't know the full power of the Ladybug and Chat Noir miraculous. she is boldfaced lying because she just wants Gabriel to move on and be Adrien's father.

   As you can imagine, things were pretty good from there. Things were hard, sure. Marinette still went to classes and so did Nath, but Adrien had all this free time he didn't know what to do with. He was disowned, penniless, and didn't seem to care one bit. He also didn't know what to do most days so he either watched anime, played video games, browsed the Internet on Nath's tablet, did chores, or followed me around. He acted like an outdoor cat forced to live inside. Kind of cagey and bored. I could see it was wearing on him, though. It had also only been a month.

   Times when there were Akuma attacks though, he shined. He was more flirty with Ladybug than ever and always managed to fit two puns in one sentence. He also sacrificed himself less and often found ways to make sure we were all safe, not just Ladybug and I. I was sure he spent his time on the Internet looking up those pickup lines and puns.  
   Classes had just started again and Mari and Nath already looked exhausted. Marinette, Adrien, and I had an outlet for our boredom or stress. Nath didn't. He said he was working on something top secret and couldn't tell us, but he would when “it was time”. Even though we were curious, we didn't pry. He was clearly excited and wanted it to be a surprise. But the dark circles under his eyes and his unwashed hair made me a bit worried. I've seen him break down when a drawing didn't look as he wanted, as I often did when I would paint and the colours came out wrong. So I kept an eye on him, just making sure he was doing okay. Adrien and Mari did the same and even though he didn't say it, I knew he appreciated the support. But today was trying on all of us.  
   During an Akuma attack, Chat Noir got hurt. I couldn't protect him because he was protecting Ladybug and I was busy fighting the Akuma victim. He had spun his baton in front of them both so the fire wouldn't reach her, but he had burned his hands in the process. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fun to watch either. In my shock over the smell of burnt leather and flesh, I had been distracted and the Akuma victim ripped my necklace off without any trouble. She had taken Arra and I detransformed.  
   “Ladybug! She has my Kwami!” I told her, starting to chase the Akuma. Ladybug and Chat Noir were right behind me. I didn't bother learning the punny name of this one. I didn't care. I needed to get Arra back. I stopped running after a few steps, knowing I needed to think first.  
   I realised I couldn't go with them. Or they couldn't come with me. I couldn't climb walls or go invisible. My only worth was as Chameleon. But I couldn't let both of them them go after her. It could be a trap. There was no need to endanger them for no reason.  
   “Let's go!” Chat said and I pulled him back by his tail like Ladybug did sometimes.  
   “No. Not you. If we chase her, and we know she's going to Hawk Moth, we can't let him have access to all three of our Miraculouses. Ladybug and I are going, and only because she needs to cleanse the Akuma. If I didn't need her, I would be going myself. No reason to drag more people with me,” I sighed. Chat’s cat ears drooped.  
   “How about this. I… I'll give you Tikki. And we'll stick around here and you can call us if you need help. You're the only one he knows the identity of. So… maybe this is a better idea,” Ladybug said softly. We walked to a secluded place (pretty much anywhere because everyone ran when they saw fire) and Marinette called Tikki off.  
   “What if… what if we went with you? We're a team,” Marinette asked me, starting to rethink this.  
   “We are a team. All three of us. But saving Arra… this is something I need to do on my own. This is for me. To prove that I'm not just dead weight, that I'm not just here to sacrifice myself for you both. I need to prove that I can do this, for me. Chat has had years to prove himself. So have you. Let me do this. Please, both of you stay here. I'll be back. I need to do this alone,” I said to them, holding Marinette's hand. I kissed Chat’s head. Marinette looked down at Tikki.  
   “Okay. Just this once, I need you to go with Élodie. Please,” Marinette said to the little red Kwami.  
   “I will. But can I eat first? I'm a bit tired,” Tikki said and rubbed her eyes. Marinette pulled a cookie out of her purse and gave it to her.  
   “I'll carry you while we walk, okay? Take your time. I'm just following the scent of smoke,” I told her and Marinette placed her in my hands.  
   “You know, we should all totally switch Kwamis at some point. It'll probably be really fun,” Chat said and grinned. I messed up his hair with my free hand.  
   “Next time, okay? For right now, let's just focus on getting Arra back and fixing your hands,” I smiled. Marinette gave me her earrings and I put them on. “When we get home, we're taking care of your hands, you silly kitty.”  
   “Remember, to fix everything you throw the Lucky Charm and shout ‘Miraculous Ladybug’. And catch the Akuma. I learned the hard way that I needed to do that. Got it?” Marinette said and I nodded. This wasn't my usual job, but I would try to remember. I was usually on distraction duty and saving Chat from himself duty.  
   I held Tikki close to me as I ran in the direction the smell of smoke was coming from. Tikki ate quickly even though the cookie was bigger than her but remained in my hands. I turned corners and jumped in front of cars only to realise where I was going. The Agreste Mansion. I nearly ran into the gate by the time I noticed, then I just stood there. I was having a difficult time processing the new information. Hawk Moth was in the Agreste Mansion and I was almost 100% sure he was Gabriel Agreste. How… how could this be? Okay, think. What do I have over him, what knowledge can I use to my advantage? Adrien talked about losing his mom. How can I use that to my advantage while in the Ladybug suit? I got it. Never underestimate a street rat.  
   “Tikki. It's time. Whatever happens in there, you can never tell Marinette and Adrien. Ever. It will only hurt them more needlessly. Promise me,” I said to her, holding her up to my face. Tikki hesitated then nodded.  
   “I hope you know what you're doing,” Tikki warned me. I looked up at the Agreste Mansion then back down at her.  
   “I don't have a choice. But whatever happens today, I have to live with it. Just me. Adrien can never know. He doesn't need the pain of knowing this… I don't know how he would react, but I think he would finally… unravel. He protects Marinette and me and Nino… someone needs to protect him. And as Chameleon and his sister, it's my job. Tikki, I'm ready. Spots on,” I said softly and closed my eyes. I felt her suit cover my body and felt my face for the mask. Touching the earrings as a way of reassuring myself that Tikki was there. But when I looked down at myself, instead of seeing my scaly green suit and tail, I saw a red suit with black spots and a yoyo around my waist. Well, that wasn't practical.  
   I hopped the wall and used the yoyo to swing myself to the top. I was screaming because I really didn't know how to use it. There wasn't exactly a training video, you know? When I saw a window, I swung by and kicked through. The landing was absolutely horrible and I hit my shoulder and head until I skidded to a stop. I tied the yoyo around my waist and started walking. Third floor. This is where Gabriel's room is. I climbed the stairs until I got to an observatory. I had never been above the second floor, mostly because I feared running into the man who would make me homeless. I had no such fear now. Inhaling deeply then biting my lip, I opened the door. Hawk Moth turned toward me, shock on his face. The flamey Akuma victim was next to him.  
   “Gabriel Agreste, you won't get what you want,” I said quickly before he could say anything.  
   “Ladybug?” Hawk Moth asked, looking a bit startled. “Hot Rod, get her miraculous!”  
   “No, wait! Stop. Hear me out. I know why you're doing this,” I shouted. Hot Rod looked at Gabriel, confused.  
   “Oh really?”  
   “Your wife. She's gone. She has been for years. You think by acquiring the Yin and Yang miraculous, you can… get her back somehow. I… I want you to know it's not possible,” I told him, sounding more sure of myself than I really was. His blue eyes looked bloodshot, as if he had been crying. Was it because of Adrien?  
   “I was told I would have God-like power.”  
   “Yes, but it can't bring back the dead. My… my father… he's gone. My mother died. You think if I could bring her back, I would? It's not possible. No one can bring the dead back. In your attempts to bring her back, you're losing your son!” I said, lying through my teeth. I hoped this would work. Modelling and acting weren't very different, right? Hawk Moth’s eyebrows furrowed but he went back to his composure. I cracked him. Now time to play it up. He didn't bother asking me how I knew he had a son, or how I knew his name. We were standing in the Agreste Mansion in a butterfly observatory. We were way past introductions. But I needed to keep talking. His demeanour changed in a way that let me know which buttons to push.  
   “I know it's easy to be angry! I was angry for a while too. I would've done anything to get my mother back. I was violent, I used my powers for bad. I acted out because I was sad. Because I lost someone important to me. But by doing that, I pushed everyone else away until I had no one. I didn't appreciate what I did have because I didn't let myself move on from what I lost. I let my negative emotions control me. It was so easy… but I ended up alone. I did it to myself. Just like you're doing. You're so busy obsessing over what you lost that you don't realise how much you're currently losing. Your son! I know you love him! I know you regret pushing him away,” I said, forcing tears to come to my eyes and I could feel them slip down my face.  
   “Then what do I do? Give up on her?” He shouted, his chest heaving. His eyes got watery too easily, as if he had gotten a lot of practice lately. Hot Rod looked very confused but didn't say anything. I knew his power, I knew I should be scared. But I wasn't. I couldn't be scared of this broken man. He was just as alone as I used to be. No matter what he could do, I couldn't fear him. The more I pushed, the more he cracked. Like his resolve was a damaged porcelain doll that I wouldn't stop toying with until it finally fell apart.  
   “No. You accept that she's gone. You cherish what you do have. You have your son. Maybe if you… show you're there for him. Show him you care. Show him that you're sorry and you're willing to mend your relationship… maybe you can fix things. Accepting isn't giving up. It's giving the person you lost peace, as well as yourself. Do you think your wife would want this for you both? Anger is easy, but it festers. It's an infection. It causes you more pain instead of helping you. It's time, Gabriel Agreste. It's time to start healing,” I said kindly, making sure I was still crying. At that moment, I knew I got to him. The perfect porcelain exterior was broken.  
   “He hates me. Adrien. He hates me,” he said, sounding so sure of it. The tone of voice was so familiar, being that it sounded like mine. Trying to be strong but there was something a bit off. A falseness to it. Only someone who knew that pain could hear it. And I knew what he needed to hear.  
   “No. He doesn't. He hates that you're never around and when you are, it's never to be there for him. That you control every aspect of his life and you're not even in it. But he doesn't hate you. All he ever wanted was for you to be proud of him. It's never too late to make amends.”  
   “How do you know so much about what he thinks?”  
   “Out of this suit, I'm one of his friends. And out of that suit, you're his father. I think it's time to start acting the part, don't you?” I offered. “Oh, and as a suggestion… keep making Akumas. This is going to sound really selfish, but… the people who wear these suits… it gives them confidence. It… makes us better people. Even though you were doing it for the wrong reasons, it improved our lives a lot. It gave us something we needed. Whether it be courage, confidence, or freedom. So don't be afraid to drop one on us every few weeks. Uni just started… maybe you'll find more people needing to get out frustrations.”  
   “You're not Ladybug, are you?”  
   “Yup, I am! Just your friendly neighbourhood bug! Thinking about my partners and all the future Ladybugs and Chat Noirs and Chameleons. They all need something to look forward to. And when there's a villain, there's always a hero to save the day. Some people need that.”  
   “How. How do I… fix things?”  
   “Well, it's not as easy as saying ‘Miraculous Ladybug’ but you can start by showing some interest in his life without needing to control it. It will take time, but time heals all wounds. It healed mine. I believe you can do it. Now, are you going to call the Akuma back or should I battle her for it?” I asked and smiled a bit. “I have my partners waiting for me to tell them I'm not dead. And I need that Miraculous you stole. It's important to someone. At some point, it was the only thing that saved her.”  
   “I… you go on. I'll… I'll start here. I'll fix this,” he said slowly, not sounding very sure of himself. I nodded and took the necklace he handed to me. It felt wonderful to have in my hand again.  
   “Acceptance is the first step. Remember that. You can move on. You can fix this,” I said, sounding like some lame motivational speaker. I then saluted awkwardly and ran out, not feeling the need to stay longer in case he changed his mind. I called for Lucky Charm and got a fishing hook. Damn, how does Marinette work with this. I tossed it up and yelled “Miraculous Ladybug” to fix all the damage. I swung out of the window and landed on my face outside of the gates. Hopefully, I never had to use Tikki again.  
   Outside of the mansion, I called Tikki off and she flew out of the earrings. I fastened the necklace back on and was so relieved to see Arra, I nearly cried.  
   “Did you just… did you just do that?” Tikki asked, staring at me in shock.  
   “I guess so,” I shrugged.  
   “How did you do that?” Arra asked.  
   “I made my - very real - pain sound the same as his. But I… I helped him see a way through it. He couldn't do it himself. His sadness over Adrien's mom turned into an obsession. I just… showed him what he was missing. I don't know if it will stick. Anger and pain are hard to shake. But I had to think of something. I knew I couldn't take the Akuma victim and Hawk Moth by myself. So I talked my way out of it,” I shrugged again, looking down.  
   “Are you sure you don't want to tell them? They'll be so proud,” Tikki pleaded. I shook my head.  
   “No. Adrien doesn't deserve to think badly of his father. And Marinette doesn't need to keep this secret on her shoulders. I'm Chameleon. I'll know the truth so they can be spared the pain,” I said and looked at them. “Now let's go. They're waiting at the park.”

   I had told them I had battled Hot Rod then had stolen my miraculous back without Hawk Moth realising it. That it was a long battle, they had a secret meeting place so I didn't know his headquarters, and I was tired so I didn't want to elaborate. The next day, Adrien and I were making breakfast in our mismatched clothes when we heard a knock at the door. I told Adrien I would answer it and to keep stirring the grits so it wouldn't stick to the bottom.  
   When I opened the door, a very well-dressed Gabriel Agreste stood in front of me, holding a bottle of wine (probably expensive) and two large bouquets of colourful flowers.  
   “Oh! Mr. Agreste! I… I didn't think you would be stopping by… ever again,” I said, trying to sound shocked. I heard something drop behind me then I felt Adrien at my back.  
   “Father?” Adrien said, sounding much more believable than I did. Probably because his shock was real. I heard sock feet behind me and turned to see Marinette and Nath. Well, this was a family event now.  
   “I… brought these. For the… Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Élodie…?”  
   “Beaumont. Élodie Beaumont.” I supplied for him.  
   “Of course, of course. I came to… apologise. Formally. For… everything, really. I didn't mean what I said. I was… angry. I would like to offer you and… your family these as an offering. Of peace. I would like to be in your life,” he said slowly, as if measuring the weight of the words until they were sufficient. I realised this was him trying to be sensitive and sincere. It was a bit stiff and could use some warmth, but it was a start. I caught Adrien's eye and nodded a bit.  
   “Come in, Father. We were just making breakfast,” Adrien said and we stepped out of the doorway to welcome him into our home.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Adrien, get your ass down from that tree. You could get hurt,” I warned him. He stuck his tongue out at me.   
>  “Make me,” he grinned. He should know better than to dare me.

   Months passed by so fast and Gabriel Agreste had been over to our apartment multiple times a week, usually with expensive gifts for Marinette (expensive cloth scissors or material), Nath (a new sketchbook and good coloured pencils), and I (easels and expensive paints and sometimes different cookbooks with food from all over the world). Adrien usually got a clap on the back and some sort of positive reinforcement. That was better than any present for him. We tried denying his gifts but we realised it was the only way he knew how to be there for us. His efforts were something we were all thankful for. We could see the improvement in Adrien's mood. Gabriel's earlier visits were very stiff and awkward at first and didn't last long, but eventually he started acting a bit looser and now stayed for an hour or two at a time. Not laid back, that just wasn't him, but he no longer looked as uncomfortable as he did when he first started coming by.   
   Another thing we were thankful for? Adrien was now working with me in the bakery. He worked at the desk while I mostly aided Tom in the actual baking and I trained him on slow days. When Tom told me he and Sabine were going to retire to the country, he handed me the deed to the establishment that was now in my and my brother's name: Élodie Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Dupain-Cheng. To make it even, Nath had changed his last name too a month ago with us. Nath told us that a printing house wanted to publish his graphic novel so we turned the middle floor into a novelty shop where we sold Marinette's designs and Nath's novels. Alya helped us with the website. Marinette got help from our college buddies Rose and Juleka to help with the production of her line. Gabriel knew better than to ask her if she wanted to work for him, so he helped in any way he could (usually money).  
   We had lines out the door for either Nath's graphic novels, Marinette's designs, or Adrien and my baked goods. But every Sunday, we closed down the shop and spent the day together. No deliveries, no clothes designs, no working on the next novel and no baking. Even Mr. Agreste didn't show up because he respected that this was our time together. We just ordered in, played video games and watched movies, and played with our pets (two dogs and a cat).   
   Then everything blew up when Marinette became pregnant with twins and I became pregnant with one baby.  
   We both ran into the bathroom at the same time and took turns throwing up. Adrien usually opened up now and put the already made pastries to bake and Nath was asleep so we were alone. After this happened three more times and we couldn't blame my experimental cooking anymore, we were faced with the truth.   
   “Mari… are we pregnant,” I asked, clearly scared.   
   “Tests! We need pregnancy tests,” Marinette said and got up with me. After three tries and we kept getting the little pink pluses on all of them, we gave in. I was going to be the best damn mother ever, my birth mother be damned. The first people we told were our boyfriends. Adrien teared up and Nath stared, covering his mouth.   
   “I… we… we're going to be dads?” Adrien asked, his voice thick with unshed tears. I bit my lip and nodded. Adri and Nath looked at each other before picking us up and spinning us around. We called Sabine and Tom next and they spent an hour congratulating us before promising to be there for the baby shower and the delivery. Gabriel had a… strange reaction. We invited him over (a rare occurrence because he usually just showed up) and told him the news. The first thing he did was walk out. None of us knew what to do. He didn't call or contact us in any way for a week. Adrien quickly was starting to lose faith that he would ever return. It kind of made me want to kill him all over again. Until one day, when we walked into our apartment. Two cribs, a playpen, and a box of baby clothes sat in our already-cramped living room.   
   “Some of it is Adrien's when he was a baby. Some of it was - was bought by his mother when she thought we were going to have a girl. Will this suffice?” he asked and cracked the tiniest smile. Marinette couldn't help herself, she hugged him tightly. We all just stood around awkwardly, not sure what to do. I certainly didn't jump in for a hug. Just because I didn't hate him didn't mean I liked him. I appreciated his efforts with my family but I hadn't forgiven him for what he put Adrien through, even if my sweet, hopeful brother had. I guess I'm petty, what can I say?  
   “Thank you so much, Mr. Agreste! Thank you! This is so kind. Isn't it great, guys?” she grinned, giving us a warning look. We agreed with varying levels of enthusiasm (mine being the lowest) being that it was the end of the day and we had dealt with an Akuma earlier. I gave Gabriel a sly look but he didn't return it. I expected as much. He didn't know it was me that spoke to him that day. He thought it was Ladybug. Probably for the best. No reason for him to know its me.  
   One day, after two months of being pregnant, Adrien and I were messing around in the park. Adrien had bought flowers for Marinette for all of our anniversary and some macarons for Nath. I had opted for a painting I made to give to my boyfriend and a plush pig to my girlfriend. Marinette was sleeping in with Nath and we decided not to wake them. They would be happy with the surprise to wake up to. It was Sunday so the bakery/store was closed and Adrien and I had all day to plan.   
   “Adrien, get your ass down from that tree. You could get hurt,” I warned him. He stuck his tongue out at me.   
   “Make me,” he grinned. He should know better than to dare me. I started climbing the tree to get to him, laughing a bit. I wasn't very good at it, I usually used my suit to climb things. Which is probably why I slipped. Our fingertips barely brushed each other before my foot slipped and I fell to the ground. In an attempt to save the baby, I landed on my hands and knees instead of my back or stomach. I felt something break when I hit the ground and I screamed in pain. Adrien jumped down and helped me up. It was always me getting hurt to spare him, but I didn't really mind anymore.  
   “Élo, can you stand,” he asked, his hands shaking. I could feel them on my waist, knowing he was worried about the baby as well as me. I put weight on the bad knee and it buckled under me after a sharp pain shot through me. I cried out again and shook my head. Thankfully, he caught me before I hit the ground again.  
   “Hospital. We need to make sure the baby is okay,” I said, my voice shaky. Adrien nodded and picked me up, his face white. “Don't you dare blame yourself, chaton. It wasn't your fault.”  
   “It'll be okay,” I kept chanting, as if it would make it true. As if it were my Lucky Charm. As if I had any luck at all. When we got to the hospital, they put me in a wheelchair and took me to get checked out. I told them Adrien was my brother and because of our last names, they didn't question it further. The doctor said that my knee wasn't broken, but I would probably never walk without pain ever again, even with physical therapy or a cast. He said to lessen the pain, I could wear a brace and use a cane. He also assured us that the baby was completely fine after seeing the ultrasound. That we were lucky. Adrien left with me and immediately bought a brace for my knee and a pink cane. He thought the colour would cheer me up. It did a bit. Well, his effort cheered me up. The situation was crap. I knew I could never be Chameleon with this handicap. I couldn't run or fight. I was out of the race. Adrien walked with me back home, letting me use him as well as the new cane to steady myself. Yes, my knee hurt. Every step felt like a knife in my knee. But that's not why I was upset. I could feel Arra in my pocket and knew we needed to talk. We explained to Marinette and Nath what happened and I joked that nothing like this could ever happen to Mari because she had the best luck out of all of us.   
   “I can… I will never fight again. Ever. I'm essentially bound to this cane. Even with physical therapy, I will always be in pain. So I can't be Chameleon,” I said softly, feeling like something was stuck in my throat. The one thing that saved me, the only friend I had for some time… she didn't need me anymore.   
   “It's okay, Élodie. We'll stick around as long as we can,” Arra smiled at me and hugged my finger.   
   “When fighting Akumas, you need to be careful. For yourself and the baby. Please. I won't be out there. I know you never needed me, but please,” I begged Marinette. I could tell she wanted to say something but nothing came out.   
   I spent the next week resting my knee and spending time with Nath and Mari at home while Adrien ran the bakery. I modelled Marinette's designs so they could be ready to sell but I knew she was just trying to find other ways for me to be useful. Nath drew me in between illustrating his new novel. I returned to work after a week and Adrien and I went back into our routine. I was glad for it. I just wanted to work if I couldn't help with saving the Akuma victims. Although it still hurt to walk, slowly everything went back to normal.   
There was another Akuma attack and Adrien disappeared out the back. I called Nath to take up his job while I made the cake for a birthday. After removing it from the oven and letting it cool before I started the icing, I got a call from Adrien. 

   "Hey, brother! What's up? You guys done already?"  
   “Hurry to the apartment, please,” he said, his voice sounding panicked. I went to Nath out front after putting the cake in the fridge.   
   “We need to go. Marinette is hurt,” I told him. When we closed up the shop, we came as quickly as we could to the apartment. It was getting a bit cramped, but we still couldn't bare to give it up just yet. Then we saw Marinette on the couch, looking pale.   
   “What happened?” Nath asked.   
   “I detransformed in the middle of the fight. I wasn't paying attention. I got pushed and I fell into a lamppost. I'll be going to the doctor when I'm not so dizzy… I hit my head… I need to check if the baby is alright,” Marinette said softly.   
   “Why didn't you take her to the hospital?” I asked Adrien, angry. He turned to me, holding up his hands.  
   “She fought me! She told me to take her home. That she'd go in a bit. You know how stubborn she is and I'm too exhausted to fight her,” Adrien protested. Marinette stuck her tongue out at him.   
   “I would carry her but I can barely hold myself up. We need to take her now,” I said to him. Nath nodded.   
   “I'm not going right now. Let me sleep,” Marinette said, her voice slow. She probably had a concussion.   
   “I got her,” Nath said and picked her up.   
   “Thank you. I'm exhausted,” Adrien smiled fondly at him and we all walked to the hospital. Marinette was instructed to not fall asleep for twenty-four hours, drink plenty of fluids, and to stay on bed rest for two weeks to make sure the baby was okay. The flood of relief was almost intoxicating.  
   The night of the delivery, everyone was there in the waiting room. Tom, Sabine, Nino, and Alya all showed up but only the fathers were allowed to be in the room with us. Marinette gave birth to two beautiful babies, a boy named Louis and a girl named Emma. Thankfully, I only gave birth to one, a girl we named Henrietta (Etta for short). Adrien was blubbering and running between the two rooms to be there for both of us, same with Nath. It was actually really funny.   
   My biological baby had a tuft of honey-coloured hair (which I assumed was Nath's natural hair colour under the tomato-red) and blue eyes like Nath's. The shape of her eyes and skin colour were closer to mine. Out of my other two (because yes we were sharing them), Emma had wispy blonde hair and her eyes were a bright blue, like Marinette's. Louis had bits of black hair and green eyes. Together, our babies were beautiful. But knowing whose DNA they shared, we were in for some crazy years with these cuties.   
   Alya and Nino were the godmother and godfather of all three, which made Nino burst into tears while holding Emma and Alya hugged us. Pictures of that night were framed all over our apartment.   
   When we went to Paris Fashion Week a month later, Tom and Sabine came to the city to babysit with Gabriel. We all were wearing Marinette's designs and when people would ask us, we told them exactly where her clothes could be bought. Marinette got offered a lot of jobs when people saw her designs on us. We were paid a bit more attention to because Adrien was the most famous model in France, and I was a famous child model in Cuba that made a sort of comeback in Paris. I think that also helped Marinette get recognised. As well as there were many rumours about our lifestyle that people wanted addressed. We didn't mind the questions and they seemed taken aback by our honesty. But overall, it was wonderful to go for our fourth year in a row.   
   Their hero lives suffered greatly at the new additions to the family. I was still out of commission because of my knee. I couldn't leave the shop or the kids (the days I had them) and neither could Adrien, Marinette was always making clothes on the fly or taking care of the kids when she and Nath could. Our Kwamis knew, though, and they understood. Marinette and Adrien no longer had the time or freedom to escape into the day and cleanse evil and it had been a while since I fought with them. It was time for them to go and find others.   
   Tikki and Arra were visibly upset, tears in their eyes as they told us how proud of us they were and how much we had grown. How much we had accomplished. That they would miss us greatly. Plagg pretended he didn't care for a bit but he ended up bursting into tears on Adrien's shoulder. Even Nath looked upset. Then we said our goodbyes. They said goodbye to the babies and even though Plagg normally hated when they played with him, he didn't seem to mind now.  
   “Don't worry.” Tikki said to us. Tears were running down our faces. I didn't know who was crying harder out of all of us.   
   “We'll be around.” Arra smiled sadly.   
   “Just look for the next group of angsty teens fighting Akumas.”   
   Then they were gone.   
   It was a sad moment for us, feeling like we all just lost a piece of who we were. A piece that helped us grow and taught us to be strong and brave. Now that they were gone, we had to be all that on our own. My neck felt light and bare without my necklace and I saw Marinette and Adrien touching the place where their miraculous used to be.   
   We set up a party to celebrate our family, a sort of “wedding” but it wasn't official. The party was mostly to cheer us up after the loss. I wasn't sure if Adrien ever put Etta or Lou down, and if he did it was to hold Emma. As for Nath, he was practically attached to Emma and Etta that night. They were more enamoured with the kids than they were with us. Mari and I thought it was cute, though. Gabriel, I saw, had no preference towards the babies and tried to hold them all equally. It was a bit stiff, but no matter who was in his arms, he seemed as enamoured with them as Nath and Adrien. Louis seemed to like him the most and tried to play with his glasses. Tom and Sabine loved them and told us we could bring them by at any time. Then Alya and Nino walked up holding hands.   
   “We didn't have time to tell you guys earlier so we decided to tell you now. We're engaged,” Alya grinned. Marinette screamed and hugged her tightly, jumping around a bit. I was pulled into the hug and I saw Nino hug Nath and Adrien out of the corner of my eye. Marinette checked her purse to tell Tikki but stopped halfway and her face fell for a moment before she put on a happy smile. I knew how she felt. I had done the same thing often enough. I wondered if we would ever really move on.   
   The rest of the night was really fun. Alya's mother, Marinette's uncle and her parents made food and sweets for everyone. We put the babies to sleep and went back to the party. It got pretty funny when we started playing rock songs and started dancing to them. Rose was laughing and got Juleka to dance with her. Alix and Kim, who were now living together, were trying to out-dance each other. Soon, all of our friends from uni and college joined us in dancing like fools and just for a moment, we forgot about what we lost.  
   A month later, on the news, we saw a trio ready to attack on the streets of Paris. A small blonde Chameleon boy, a redhead Chat Noir girl, and a green-haired Ladybug girl (I called her Strawberry, though). The new trio. That night, we all cuddled on the blankets with the kids and I felt at peace knowing they would keep protecting Paris after our time had passed. We watched them, remembering what it was like to be them, and silently wished them luck. But knowing Tikki, Arra, and Plagg, they wouldn't need it.   
   “Are you guys okay?” Nath asked us. I exchanged a look with Ladybug and Chat Noir and I quirked a half-smile. Marinette smiled at Adrien then back to Nath.   
   “We'll… we’ll be fine,” Adrien smiled and kissed Nath’s cheek.   
   “Are you sure? You looked a bit… sad,” he asked, trying to study our faces.   
   “I wouldn't change it for the world. It was between leaving our kids, leaving you guys, or being Chameleon forever. I couldn't do it. Being Chameleon saved my life, but you guys are my life,” I shrugged and leaned forward to rub Lou’s back. The kids were having a nap on their mat all huddled together.   
   “I choose to be here. With my family,” Adrien smiled and hugged me with one arm.   
   “So do I,” Marinette grinned at us. I looked back at the screen and saw Ladybug using a helicopter to swing herself closer as she screamed with joy. Chat Noir was fighting the possessed people with her baton while Chameleon fought with her. They worked well together and I knew one thing for sure.  
   They were going to be miraculous.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What are you doing here?" I asked

_Merci beaucoup! Espérons que tu avez aimé! ¿Por qué estás todavía leyendo esto? Es sobre. Mucho amor, pero el fin. El final_. - Chameleon (Élodie Dupain-Cheng)


End file.
